Asakusa: Mecca For Nippon Kitsch

Above, a film crew near Nakamise Street. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of my favorite Tokyo hang-outs is the Asakusa section of Tokyo.

Last year, I took an additional step by booking a room in Asakusa. Nakamise Street and Senso-ji were within easy walking distance, as was a great sushi restaurant, Sushizanmai.

The Japan Times provides a little history of Asakusa along with what visitors can expect there while wandering around.

They begin with:

Every once in a while, the Japanese have to remind themselves that they’re Japanese. We feel the need to reconfirm that we are part of a long and enduring traditional culture — one which includes kimono, samurai, ninja, eels on rice, and other weird items. Many like to pretend that these particular oddities have nothing to do with being a modern Japanese, they prefer to believe that their culture begins with Studio Ghibli and ends with AKB48. But, when our guard is down, few of us are immune to the call of old Nippon. It goes straight to our hearts and stirs us to action — and I’m not just talking about visiting lofty noh performances or taking part in intricate tea ceremonies. When the Japanese hear the call, where do they go? More often than not, we haul ourselves over to Asakusa, and join the hordes of foreign tourists soaking up the culture, gawking at the sights and stuffing themselves with treats. We can’t help it — it’s in our blood.

To read more, go here.