Traveler Description
According to legend, two brothers kept trying to return a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, to the Sumida River only to have it returned to them the next day. This temple located in Tokyo's Asakusa district was built to honor her.

Address: 2-3-1 Asakusa
Phone: 03 3842 0181


Traveler Reviews

My Favourite place in all of Tokyo!!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Oct 8, 2008


I always stay in Asakusa when I visit Japan. This small town is by far my favourite location in all of Tokyo! This is in part due to the Sensoji temple. Morning, afternoon and evening. Whatever time you visit you are guarnteed to have a whole new experience when you visit. In the morning all the shops on the Nakamise shopping street (Leading up to the shrine at the end of the street) are opening for business. You will see school kids out in force in their sailor uniforms, buying crackers and red bean paste sweets (I recommend the green tea ones!). You can also spot men and women in their suits stopping to pay their respects, bowing, ringing the bell, clapping their hands, throwing in contributions and then rushing off to the subway. This is easily the best place to shop for souvenirs. If you take a turn at any of the side streets that lead of the main street you are greeted with even more shops all small, packed together, with numerous restaurants in between. I always end up back tracking, as its easy to get lost in among all the twists and turns. One of my favourite kaiten sushi restaurants is off one of the streets to the right. I would also recommend visiting at night when it is less busy and the lanterns leading up to the shrine are all lit up. My favourite time to visit and take numerous pictures! A must see!

Nakamise shopping area
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Aug 17, 2008


The Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) and Shinto shrines are nice, but one of the most interesting things I found was the Nakamise shopping street with various traditional Japanese souvenirs and local snacks, Although some of the shop ladies can be a little overly pushy at times..there were many interesting souvenirs that couldn't be found at other places

Must see !
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jul 29, 2008


A must see for tourists heading to Tokyo. Although there are temples aplenty there, this is one of the more famous ones. The place looks serene even when loaded with tourists. A long stretch of shops on both sides of the walkway leads up to the temple. Loads of souvenirs and food to buy / feast on. Found a shop selling a bowl of ramen for only JPY 200. Delicious and cheap.

A Tourist Trap Worth Taking In
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Apr 11, 2008


To be honest, I did not know much about the Senso-ji Temple prior to visiting it and my Japanese host and friend felt the temple and the surrounding shopping/eating area would be worth the trip. Once you are in the neighborhood, it is easy to find - just follow the tourists with their city maps, Japanese-English dictionary and cameras to probably the most famous temples in the whole of Japan. It is not far from the Asakusa metro stop. Between the outer and inner gates is a strip of shops and eatery stands that, from what my host said, has been around for centuries. The main temple opens up before you along with a very tall pagoda and the ensence burning pot where worshippers bring the smoke to their face. It was an interesting looking practice and since I'm a firm believer in the old axiom - "When in Rome..." - I gave it go myself, hoping I was not offending anyone. The temple itself is so gaudy, it is impressive. As much as I could with the throngs around me, I tried to lose myself in this old place and groove on what Buddhists get from it. The shops that line the way between the outer and inner gate are typical tourist shops - traditional Japanese snacks, fans with various Japanese symbols on it and local restaurants. I can't remember the name of the small hole in the wall on the back alley way that sold sushi and noodles. I normally chastise the "typical" tourist traps but this is one tourist traps that should be visited while in Tokyo.

fun evening, great Indian food
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Apr 9, 2007


After a tiring day of touring Tokyo (starting early with Tsukiji) we took the Toei Asakusa line to Asakusa station. The Sensoji temple was easy to find and the tourist information center located nearby was very helpful. The shopping area around the temple provided a lot of diversion. We found a great Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant named Shagorika. The restaurant has great naan bread and chicken curry. The restaurant is at 1-12-10 Asakusa Taito-ku. Pictures of the dishes can be found at [---]. We eat a lot of Indian food and this place is great. My family of four ate a great meal for just under $40 and left absolutely stuffed.