If you are thinking of what to do and eat in Asakusa, and only have a few hours to spare, this post covers what you should not miss in this traditional district of Tokyo. 

We recommend visiting Tokyo’s oldest and most iconic temple, the Sensoji Temple, also popularly known as Asakusa Kannon Temple. Our family makes it a point to pay homage to the Buddha at Sensoji Temple every time we visit Tokyo. It certainly feels very reassuring to be blessed by the Buddha from a temple with immense significance. 

Visitors enter Sensoji Temple through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) with a gigantic lantern hanging in the middle. This is a highly popular photo spot among tourists visiting Sensoji Temple. 

Right outside Sensoji Temple is an entire street of shops known as Nakamise Shopping Street. 

Over there, you can find all sorts of souvenirs and bric-a-brac. 

There are also plenty of snacks that you can munch on while strolling along Nakamise. 

At the end of Nakamise Shopping Street, you will find another giant lantern. 

A mere 3-minute walk from Nakamise Shopping Street, you really ought to stop by Namiki Yabusoba for lunch. This famous soba restaurant in Asakusa boasts more than 100 years of history and sees a long queue during lunch and dinner times. 

Namiki Yabusoba’s buckwheat noodles are handmade from 100% buckwheat flour milled on the same day, giving it that clean taste and earthy flavor. When eaten together with the rich and flavorful dipping sauce, the zaru soba is refreshing and satisfying. 

If you prefer something hot especially when visiting in winter, there is also a choice of hot soba soup with fish cakes.

I’m really glad I decided to try something different – the Yamakake soba, which is cold soba covered in a sauce combination of grated yam seasoned with dipping sauce. Give it a good stir so that the noodles are evenly coated in sauce. I loved that it was slimy and slippery, on top of being yummy. 

If you visiting Tokyo on a tight schedule and still wish to spend some time in Asakusa, we hope this post on what to do and eat in Asakusa will inspire you. 

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