If you find yourself in Asakusa, look beyond Sensoji Temple, Shin-Nakamise shopping street, kimono rentals and rickshaw rides. A little exploration will reveal quieter corners and unexpected pleasures away from the main tourist routes.
Sumida Park, lining the banks of the Sumida River, is an excellent place to get your bearings once you move beyond the neighborhood’s busiest spots. Walking paths bordered by careful landscaping frame views of Tokyo Skytree and link the shopping complex Tokyo Mizumachi with a selection of cafés. Nearby, the Sumida Hokusai Museum is devoted to the work of Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and explores his lasting influence on Japanese art, presenting high-resolution, life-size reproductions of many of his best-known pieces from his long career in the Sumida area.
Close by, the Edo Taito Traditional Crafts Center provides a thoughtful alternative to the crowds on Shin-Nakamise, hosting weekend demonstrations where artisans show Edo kiriko glass cutting, woodblock printing, traditional woodworking and other crafts. For a more contemporary take on cultural programming, Pink offers daytime crafting classes and transforms into a DJ-led bar at night — a popular option on the Asakusa Twilight tour created by local guide Anne Kyle of Arigato Travel.
Sumida Hokusai Museum © Bennnn | Dreamstime.com
While the scents of street food from Shin-Nakamise can be tempting, consider sampling family-run restaurants on the nearby side streets that specialize in particular dishes. Standouts include Sugita for tonkatsu (curry cutlets), Edo Soba Teuchidokoro Asada, a soba house established in 1854, Sushi Ken, and Kudaka Teppanyaki, known for serving A5-grade Wagyu beef. For evening drinks, locals often suggest the sake bar NinjaBar Asakusa or Asakusa Yokocho, a lively cluster of izakayas located on the fourth floor of the Uniqlo building.
Staying in one of Asakusa’s distinctive newer hotels can also give useful perspective on the neighborhood’s changing character. The Wired Hotel Asakusa houses Zakbaran, a café-bar open to guests and visitors that features snacks made from soy milk and tofu and a curated selection of 12 sake varieties. Asakusa Tobu Hotel blends playful design with innovation through Hello Kitty-themed suites and a Tobu Railway operational simulator room fitted with equipment used to train professional conductors. In recent years Tobu Railway has expanded the area’s offerings with PADEL TOKYO Mizumachi, a Spanish-style racquet sport facility, and Garden of the Earth, an inventive children’s playground opened in 2023.