Asakusa

Asakusa (浅草) is the center of Tokyo downtown, one of Tokyo districts where an atmosphere of the Tokyo of past decades survives.




◯Kaminarimon（雷門）
The Kaminarimon（雷門） is the main gate of Sensoji. Kaminarimon is always crowded. Konosuke Matsushita（松下幸之助） who founded Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.Ltd.(Panasonic) worshiped to Senso-ji Temple  and  cured his disease, so he was donated the large lantern and the gate as its reward. On the back of the lantern, "Konosuke Matsushita,（松下幸之助） Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd." is still engraved.









◯Sensoji（浅草寺）
Sensoji is a Buddhist temple in the center of Asakusa area. In 628, fisher's brothers found a small statue of the Goddess of Kannon in their fishing net at fish catching in Sumida River. And their boss changed his residence to a temple and he enshrined the statue there. Sensoji is said to originate from that. In the precincts, there are some buildings.These former buildings were built in the 17th century, but all of them had destroyed by Great Tokyo Air Raids (March 10th, 1945). So they had been rebuilt after the war.


◯Nakamise shopping street（仲見世商店街）/Shin nakamise shopping street（新仲見世商店街）
There is "Nakamise shopping street"（仲見世商店街） shopping mall  continued to Senso-ji Temple.　Here is one of Japan's oldest shopping district. Shin-Nakamise or "New Nakamise"（新仲見世） runs perpendicular to the Nakamise Shopping Street. It is a covered shopping arcade.


◯Underground Asakusa（浅草地下街）
Tobu Asakusa station（東武浅草駅） Came from Shin-Nakamise, there is a shortcut to the subway Ginza line（銀座線）. Underground is a low ceiling and old-fashioned, spread to its destination the "underground city" retro Asakusa. It is said that it was made in 1955 and it is the oldest of Tokyo underground mall.
There are 20 stores. Stores are very miscellaneous, like fortune-telling shop, qigong therapy shop, massage shop, yakisoba shop, adult video shop, Thai cuisine and taverns.

◯Kamiya Bar（神谷バー）
Splendid retro architecture stand on the corner of the intersection Azumabashi is a building of "Kamiya Bar", the first bar of Japan. Denki Bran(Electrical Blandy) is cocktail which was  made in 1882 and has 30 degrees alcohol,  so tongue is tingling and numbness like electricity.

◯Shit Bill（うんこビル）
Azumabashi Asahi Beer building（吾妻橋アサヒビール） is said to the motif of beer in the jug and its foam. But, it is the shit no matter how you look at it, everyone said "shit bill."







◯Hanayashiki（花やしき）
This is the oldest amusement park was opened in  Edo Period(in 1853). Roller coaster is a thrill to slip through the narrow space under the eaves of the house.

◯Hatsune restaurant district（初音小路飲食店街）
Hatsune restaurant district, the street is covered with wisteria all. Taverns and snacks are lined and spread the tables and chairs in the alley in front of the store.  There is a "Asakusa Winds" off-course betting shop nearby, you can see drunks watching a horse race newspapers and TV.
















◯Hoppy Street（ホッピー通り）
Red lanterns are hanging  written "hoppy"（ホッピー） in front of taverns which served hoppy and broiled pig innards（もつ焼き）. Hoppy, a non-alcoholic beer taste beverages, is often drunk  in the downtown Tokyo. It is originally said that hoppy had been preferred to poor people who can not drink expensive beer.





◯Asakusa Rock-Za(Striptease)（浅草ロック座）
Asakusa Rock-Za is the most famous striptease theater in Japan.  Japanese famous comedian and movie director “Takeshi Kitano” worked at Asakusa Rock-Za in his early years. Many AV actress has been enrolled. Minako Komukai also sometimes shows.

◯24 Kaikan(Gay Crusing Spot)（24会館）

It is famous gay crusing spot. It has bath, sauna, snack and bedrooms. Snack 24 next to 24 Kaikan is also gay crusing snack. It has traditional Japanese loincloths area. Regular customers bring their own loincloths, but these can also be rented for ¥500, and first-timers will be taught how to tie one on. 





◯Sumida River Homeless Village（隅田川ホームレス村）

Here is the holy land of the homeless in Tokyo as well as Ueno Park（上野公園）. On both sides of the Sumida River（隅田川） is "Sumida Park."（隅田公園） On the benches in the park, you can see many homeless who is napping.




















◯Asakusa Samba Carnival
It is Japan's largest samba festival is carried out by blocking the road of Asakusa area on the last Sunday of August every year. Japanese women has small chest and buttocks compared to South America, this is one of the few occasions you can see a mostly naked Japanese women.






◯Sanja Festival（三社祭り）
It is one of the big festivals in Tokyo and held on the third Friday, Saturday and Sunday on May every year in the "Asakusa Shrine" Asakusa Sensoji Temple in the precinct. For local yakuza(Japanese Mafia) were in charge of the festival from the past, there were tattoo people carrying portable shrines, so it became problem, nowadays there are no yakuza in this festival.