Asakusa, Tokyo
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is a district in Taitō,
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the
bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
Kannon Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...
. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as .


History

The development of Asakusa as an entertainment district during the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
came about in part because of the neighboring district, Kuramae. Kuramae was a district of storehouses for rice, which was then used as payment for servants of the feudal government. The keepers () of these storage houses initially stored the rice for a small fee, but over the years began exchanging the rice for money or selling it to local shopkeepers at a margin. Through such trading, many came to have a considerable amount of disposable income and as result theaters and geisha houses began to spring up in nearby Asakusa. For most of the 20th century, Asakusa remained a major entertainment district in Tokyo. The or "Sixth District" was in particular famous as a theater district, featuring famous cinemas such as the Denkikan. The golden years of Asakusa are vividly portrayed in
Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal and ...
's novel '' The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa'' (1930). The area was heavily damaged by US bombing raids during World War II, particularly the 10 March 1945 firebombing of Tokyo. The area was rebuilt after the war, but has now been surpassed by
Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
and other colorful areas in the city in its role as a pleasure district. Asakusa was a ward of
Tokyo City was a Cities of Japan, municipality in Japan and capital of Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943), Tokyo Prefecture (or ''Tokyo-fu'') which existed from 1 May 1889 until the establishment of Tokyo Metropolis on 1 July 1943. The historical boundari ...
. In 1947, when the city was transformed into a
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
, it was merged with Shitaya to form the modern Taito ward. The former ward encompassed 19 neighborhoods in the eastern half of Taitō.


Geography

Asakusa is on the north-east fringe of central Tokyo, at the eastern end of the
Tokyo Metro Ginza Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. The official name is . It is long and serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, and Taitō, Tokyo, Taitō. It is the old ...
subway, approximately one mile east of the major railway/subway interchange. It is central to the area colloquially referred to as
Shitamachi and are traditional names for two areas of Tokyo, Japan. Yamanote refers to the affluent, upper-class areas of Tokyo west of the Imperial Palace.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version While citizens once considered it as ...
, which literally means "low city," referring to the low elevation of this old part of Tokyo, on the banks of the Sumida River. As the name suggests, the area has a more traditionally Japanese atmosphere than some other neighborhoods in Tokyo do.


Food and drink

Asakusa has many restaurants and places to try traditional Japanese foods. One of the most popular treats is , sweet potatoes. Another special treat is , grilled fish cakes. The Suzuhiro store serves local craft beer with traditional . Asakusa is also known for spices such as and . In a city where there are very few buildings older than 50 years because of the wartime bombing, Asakusa has a greater concentration of buildings from the 1950s and 1960s than most other areas in Tokyo do. There are traditional (guest-houses) and small-scale apartment buildings throughout the district. In keeping with a peculiarly Tokyo tradition, Asakusa hosts a major cluster of domestic kitchenware stores on , which is visited by many Tokyoites for essential supplies. Next to the Sensō-ji temple grounds is a small amusement park called Hanayashiki, which claims to be the oldest amusement park in Japan. The neighborhood theaters specialize in showing classic Japanese films, as many of the tourists are elderly Japanese. Cruises down the Sumida River depart from a wharf a five-minute walk from the temple. Asakusa is Tokyo's oldest
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
district, and still has 45 actively working geisha. Because of its colourful location, downtown credentials, and relaxed atmosphere by Tokyo standards, Asakusa is a popular accommodation choice for budget travelers.


Carnival

The neighborhood is famous for its annual Brazilian style
carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
. There is a significant Brazilian presence in the local community and the Association of
Samba School A samba school () is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-Compound (enclosure), compounds ("quadras de samba") and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an Afro-Brazili ...
s of Asakusa is based there.


Although there are many festivals throughout the year in Asakusa, the most famous of them is the , also known as Sanja Festival, which takes place in May. In this festival, (portable shrines) and floats are pulled through the streets while loud shouts accompany them, and during the festival's 3 days, 1.5 million people come out to celebrate.


Transportation

The district has two railway stations with the same name: * Asakusa Station * Asakusa Station


Education

Taitō City Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Asakusa 1- and portions of 2- are zoned to . All of 6- and 7- and parts of 3-, 4-, and 5- are zoned to . Parts of 3-, 4-, and 5- are zoned to . Portions of 2- are zoned to . Portions of 5- are zoned to . Asakusa 1- and 2- are zoned to . All of Asakusa 6- and 7- and portions of 3-, 4-, and 5- are zoned to . Portions of Asakusa 3-, 4-, and 5- are zoned to .


In art and literature

* Kawabata Yasunari, '' The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa'' (1930) * Kankichi Ryotsu, protagonist of the popular anime and manga series , is born in Asakusa. * "Corn Dog," season 1, episode 2 of ''Midnight Diner, Tokyo Stories'', a Netflix original series (2016), is about an old comedian who works in Asakusa and his successful young protégé. * The anime is set in Asakusa. * In the anime and manga series '' Fire Force'', Asakusa shows up as the district under the jurisdiction of the Special Fire Force Company 7 and is the setting of the Asakusa arc. * In the popular anime and manga series, '' Demon Slayer'', chapters 14–17 and episodes 7–10, the primary location is Taishō-period Asakusa. * In video games, Senran Kagura is set in the fictional city of Asakusa.


See also

* Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center * Asakusa Shrine * Hanayashiki, oldest amusement park in Japan. * * *
Kiuchi Kyō was a Japanese educator and politician who served as a member of the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors. She is believed to be the first woman to become the principal of a Japanese school. Name Her maiden surname was , and her p ...
* Luna Park, Tokyo


References


External links

* * {{Coord, 35, 42, 52, N, 139, 47, 48, E, region:JP-13, display=title Districts of Taitō