Asakusa Shrine
Asakusa, Tokyo
Source: asakusajinja.jp, checked 5 Oct 2026.
Asakusa Shrine is the Shinto shrine right beside Senso-ji's main hall, dedicated to the three men who founded the temple. Its 1649 buildings came through both the 1923 earthquake and the WWII air raids, so it's one of the few original Edo-period structures left in Asakusa.
More photos of Asakusa Shrine
Insider tip
Most visitors walk straight past it after Senso-ji, so it stays calm even when the temple is packed. In mid May it hosts Sanja Matsuri, one of the wildest festivals in Tokyo.
What the guides say about Asakusa Shrine
Sanja Matsuri is the annual grand festival of Asakusa Shrine, the small Shinto shrine beside Senso-ji Temple, and it's Tokyo's loudest three days of the year. Portable shrines (mikoshi) get bounced through the streets by teams in matching happi coats, there's drumming and chanting, and food stalls fill the space around the temple. The shrine counts roughly 1.8 million visitors over the weekend.
Morning. Be at Senso-ji Temple before the tour groups, which in practice means before 8am. The lantern at the Kaminarimon gate, the smoke from the incense cauldron in front of the main hall, the red pagoda against a flat morning sky. At this hour it's all yours, plus a few dozen locals on their way to work. Step around the side to the smaller Asakusa Shrine, the Shinto shrine that shares the grounds and gets a fraction of the attention. Then walk Nakamise Shopping Street back towards the gate as it opens from around 9am, and eat something warm from the first stall that's ready.
What's on at Asakusa Shrine
Upcoming events at Asakusa Shrine and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Sanja Matsuri
三社祭
Time Sunday mikoshi parade from about 8:00 Station Asakusa (Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tobu Line), 7 min walk
Asakusa's rowdiest weekend, when around 100 mikoshi including the shrine's three great portable shrines are carried through the neighbourhood's streets by roughly two million participants and spectators. Held the third Friday to Sunday of May.
江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0 Shirasagi no Mai (White Heron Dance)
白鷺の舞
Station Asakusa Station (Tobu Skytree Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tsukuba Express), 5 min walk
Spectacular white heron dance performed at Sensoji Temple in November coinciding with Japan's Culture Day holiday. Traditional ceremonial dance featuring graceful movements. Often draws larger crowds than spring performance.
OiMax, CC BY 2.0 Hagoita Ichi (Battledore Fair) at Sensoji
羽子板市（歳の市）
Time 9:00 to 19:30, last day until 19:00 Station Asakusa (Ginza Line), 5 min walk
Stalls fill the temple grounds selling ornamental hagoita paddles decorated with kabuki figures, current celebrities and topical designs, alongside daruma dolls and festive food. The market descends from the historic Toshi no Ichi year-end market and runs for three fixed dates every December regardless of the day of the week.
OiMax, CC BY 2.0 Hatsumode at Senso-ji
浅草寺 初詣（修正会・新年大祈禱会）
Station Asakusa (Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tobu Line), 5 min walk
New Year visits to Senso-ji start when the bell rings at midnight on 1 January; from the 1st to the 3rd the grounds run one-way routes and entry control.
Real Estate Japan from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0 Setsubun and Fukuju no Mai at Senso-ji
節分会・福聚の舞
Time Bean-throwing 12:00 and 14:00, Fukuju no Mai 12:30 and 14:30 Station Asakusa (Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tobu Line), 5 min walk
Senso-ji's Setsubun features bean-throwing from a stage by the main hall, including rounds by kabuki actors and TV personalities, followed by the Fukuju no Mai dance of the Seven Lucky Gods. Asakusa's version chants that there are no demons before Kannon, so only good fortune is called in.
OiMax, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Asakusa Culture and Lights Illumination
30 Oct to 3 Nov · Senso-ji, Asakusa
Projection mapping on the main hall and Hozomon gate of Senso-ji, with special openings of the Dempoin garden and the Ema-do hall.
Free · Map · Source: ARTE TOKYO (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) · ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026(浅草カルチャー&ライツ 2026)
Hanakawado Park flea market Market
On set weekend days, about twice a month. Next: Sat 31 Oct · Hanakawado Park
A household flea market in Hanakawado Park, a few minutes north of Asakusa station, run on set Saturdays and Sundays by two flea-market groups with the ward's support.
Free entry · 9:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays, 10:00 to 15:00 on Sundays · Map · Source: Taito City (Cleaning and Recycling Section) · 花川戸公園フリーマーケット
Nearby
Around Asakusa
Old Tokyo's front door, best before the tour buses arrive
Asakusa gets dismissed as touristy, and at 2pm on a Saturday it is. Go at 7am instead. Senso-ji with incense drifting and almost nobody around is a different place entirely, and the backstreets west of the temple still feel like the shitamachi Tokyo that most of the city paved over decades ago.
Asakusa has 14 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 3 shrines and temples, 3 bathhouses, 2 viewpoints, 2 bars, 2 shops, 1 park or garden and 1 restaurant. Read the Asakusa guide.
From the blog
Good to know
- What is the address of Asakusa Shrine?
- 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo (in Japanese: 東京都台東区浅草2-3-1).
- How do I get to Asakusa Shrine?
- The nearest station is Asakusa (Ginza Line). Asakusa Shrine is in Asakusa, Tokyo.
- How much does Asakusa Shrine cost?
- Nothing. Asakusa Shrine is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Asakusa Shrine?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Asakusa Shrine?
- Early mornings.
Stay near Asakusa Shrine
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