*POST UPDATED OCTOBER 2026.
Sweet friends, hello! Happy Thursday! How are you keeping? I don’t often stop by on a weekday, but I’m here to belatedly deliver a post I promised for last week: A Morning in Asakusa, Tokyo. I had the very best of intentions to share it before we jetted off last Thursday, but one thing led to another and I just didn’t get around to it. Better late than never, right? In case you missed it, this is my second Tokyo city guide. My first one — Four Days in Shinjuku — hit the blog at the start of the month, and I’m hopeful to share my final one, covering all things Shibuya, soooon! Now, let’s dive in, shall we?
Asakusa is the traditional district in Tokyo. When I was researching the district before our visit, all the guides said the same thing: travel to Asakusa for a glimpse into the Tokyo of the past. And honestly, it felt so true! Yes, it’s busy and just as hectic as the other more central districts, but the vibe couldn’t be more different! No flashing adverts talking to you from a billboard on high, no crazy modern electronic displays – or at least, we didn’t see anything like that. We did see a whole gosh-darn-lot of(!) tourists dressed in traditional Japanese kimono. Men, women, children — almost every second person we passed was dressed for the occasion of wandering the area in the proper attire. It wasn’t really our scene, but whatever floats your boat?
Below is my short but sweet guide to the city. We were only on the Asakusa side of town for a couple hours, but you better believe we a. sniffed out the best pancake house on offer, and b. hit up the most important tourist attraction! Enjoy, friends!
getting there
We made our way to Asakusa from Shinjuku early one morning, jet-lagged and bleary eyed. That same morning, while enjoying pastries in the hotel lobby, we overheard a family nearby bemoaning the fact that there was no direct subway from our area of Shinjuku to Asakusa. Now, let me tell you, we were in no mood for train hopping or anything of the sort. Thankfully, after a little study of the subway map, I found a direct route. Here’s how we made the journey:
from our hotel, THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku, we walked 6-minutes to Tochomae Station. It was an easy peasy stroll across the block.
from Tochomae Station, we bought two tickets bound for Kuramae Station on the Ōedo Line. The journey cost us ¥280 each, and lasted 11-stops and 23ish minutes.
and boom, you’re in Asakusa, baby! If you’re heading to Sensō-ji Temple, it’s a straight 14-minute walk direct from Kuramae Station. Side note: there are other stations in Asakusa that leave you off closer to Sensō-ji, but, I repeat, we weren’t in the mood to switch lines.
