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Nakamise-Dori Nakamise-Dori
The inner shop street
For some, approaching the temple at Sensoji will seem like running the gauntlet.

The area between the famous red lantern Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) and the main temple itself is a path past 87 souvenir shops; an area dubbed the "Inner Shop Street": Nakamise-Dori.

The huge gate itself is named for two deities that stand guard on either side. Raijin on the left represents the god of thunder, while on the right stands Fujin, the god of wind.

For centuries souvenir shops have lined this path up to the Hozomon Gate in front of the main hall of the temple. Once makeshift stalls, today the stores have a movable overhead cover to protect shoppers from inclement weather.
On the back of the second gate hang two enormous straw sandals, a gift from a provincial town.

Because Japanese custom dictates that one must return home from a trip with trinkets for family and neighbors, the area is flooded with visitors to Tokyo, and on a particularly busy day it's almost impossible to make your way through.

Shops carry a vast variety of items from senbei rice crackers, sweets, paper umbrellas, toys, T-shirts and old kimono to ancient and modern hairpins.
Sifting through the trinkets and kitsch makes for an interesting sociological study, although some may prefer to spend their time exploring the temple buildings themselves.
Access: A few minutes' walk from Asakusa Station on the subway Ginza Line and Asakusa Line, as well as the Tobu Isezaki Line.
Opening hours: Shops start opening around 9:30 am and close at various times during the evening. The area is always open, although the main temple itself can only be entered between 6:00 and 17:00.

Within a 10-min walk
Super Dry Hall : On the other side of the Sumida River. Designed by French architect Philippe Starck and completed in 1989, this uniquely shaped building includes a beer hall.
Drum Museum : Study the Japanese taiko. Tel: 03-3842-5622.
Kappabashi : A street full of wax food samples and restaurant ware. Closed Sunday.
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