Page 91 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Tokyo

Ueno, Asakusa, and Oshiage ❮❮ 89

Kappabashi
8 A DAY IN OLD ASAKUSA
Kitchenware Town
MAP Q2 • Kappabashi-dori, Taito-ku Edo-Shitamachi Kototoi-dori
A long street, Kappabashi-dori is Traditional Crafts
Museum
known by its sobriquet, “Kitchen Asakusa Kannon Hanayashiki
Amusement
Town.” Two stores, Maizuru and Onsen Park
Biken, are highly rated by Asakusa Rokku Umamichi-
dori
Broadway
connoisseurs of plastic food. Food Engei Hall
samples have generated interest as Denboin-dori
a minor, collectable pop art. Viewed Asakusa
Station
on an empty stomach, they can seem Kaminari-mon Kamiya Bar
like works of towering genius. Gallery ef
Azumabashi Bridge
Tokyo Skytree
9 MORNING
MAP H2 • 1-1-2 Oshiage,
Sumida-ku • 0570-55-0634 • Open Exit Asakusa subway, walk north
8am–10pm • www.tokyo-skytree.jp along Umamichi-dori to Kototoi-
Opened in 2012, the 2,080-ft (634-m) dori. Turn left and the Edo-
Tokyo Skytree has two observation Shitamachi Traditional Crafts
Museum is a short walk away.
decks. Although the architect sought The nearby Hanayashiki amuse-
to create a futuristic building, several ment park is a relic of the old
traditional Japanese elements went entertainment district of Rokku.
into its design. Even the color is Immediately south, Asakusa
based on the traditional Japanese Kannon Onsen is a traditional
blueish-white color called aijiro. hot spring. Just west of the baths,
the Rokku Broadway ped estrian
street still boasts a few traditional
theaters as well as comedy and
story-telling halls, including
Asakusa Engei Hall (see p59).
Stop to look at the posters and
lively barkers outside. The narrow
backstreets around Denboin-dori
have many cheap, but characterful,
restaurants serving fried noodles
and oden, a fish-cake hot pot.
AFTERNOON
Walk south to the great Kaminari-
mon, the main entrance to Senso-
ji temple (see pp14–15), to admire
the giant paper lantern and the
Tokyo Skytree dominates the sky ancient guardian statues. Walk
toward the Sumida River (see
Amuse Museum
0 pp16–17) and the station where
you began. Turn right on Edo-dori
MAP R2 • 2-34-3 Asakusa,
Taito-ku • 5806-1181 • Open for Gallery ef, housed in an earth-
10am–6pm Tue–Sun • Adm walled, 19th- century storehouse,
• www.amusemuseum.com a rarity in con temporary Tokyo.
Multiple patched and mended gar- The café here is excellent. Retrace
your steps to the station and stop
ments are the main features of this at the bright ly painted Azumabashi
diverting museum. The fabrics are bridge, where traditional pleasure
like expressionist paintings in rustic boats, yakata bune, are moored.
colors. There's also a digital exhibition Return to the corner of Kaminari-
of classic ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) mon and Umamichi streets to visit
and a viewing terrace providing the Kamiya Bar (see p64), for
panoramas over neighboring Senso-ji denki-bran, its trademark drink.
temple and Tokyo Skytree.
See map on p86–7
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