Tour Details
Duration
2 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- Senso-ji
- Asakusa
Photos & Highlights
- Tour of Asakusa district led by an expert in Tokyo history
- Gain deeper insight into the city's transformation from village to metropolis
Select a date
Tour Description
During this two-hour Asakusa tour, we'll join a local historian and Tokyo expert to explore this exciting neighborhood, sitting in the "low" area of the city, away from Tokyo’s flashy lights and business centers. Also known as the geisha district, the Asakusa area was well established before the Tokugawa Shogunate began to rule from Edo—what later became Tokyo—in 1603. We will discuss this national narrative as we walk through this area that still hints at some of the characters of old Japan. We'll explore the role of Asakusa as a sleepy fishing village turned geisha district, and look at larger themes of pleasure and entertainment in the history of Tokyo, all the while getting a great feel for the atmosphere and culture of this popular area of Tokyo.
Experts
To frame the story of Asakusa's place in Edo (now Tokyo), our Asakusa tour revolves around Buddhist temples. We'll weave between Asakusa's past and present, discussing its importance and significance to Japan’s distant history, but also such recent topics as the after-effects of WWII and the birth of the plastic food that can be found across Japan. We'll come to better understand how the neighborhood has evolved—and stayed the same. We’ll discuss Asakusa's role as an entertainment district, ukiyo (the "floating world" pleasure-seeking culture of Edo-era Japan). This is one of the main reasons why Asakusa became what it is: without the trade and development of the merchant houses, there would not have been enough money to float around in the "floating world."
We'll walk briefly along the shopping street Nakamise Dori, discussing how Asakusa was rebuilt after the WWII firebombing. Our Asakusa tour ends, however, at Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple, Senso-ji. This is one of Tokyo's most important religious sites, badly damaged during WWII but eventually rebuilt. We may also discuss the Asakusa shrine, which lies on the grounds of the Buddhist temple, showing that unique mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism that has, in many ways, made Japan what it is today. Senso-ji and its Japanese-style garden make for a quiet place of contemplation, and it's here that we'll wrap up our walking tour.
Wrapping up your Tokyo Asakusa Tour, you'll emerge with a stronger understanding of the many roles this neighborhood has played in the history of Edo/Tokyo as well as the area’s overall connection to the rest of the country.
- You like to walk and want to cover a lot of ground while learning from an expert
- You're a history lover wanting to follow in the footsteps of famous figures
- You want to satisfy your thirst for knowledge while immersing yourself in the history of the city
- Senso-ji - It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple and one of its most significant. It is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion.
- Asakusa - It is a historic neighborhood in Tokyo and a popular tourist destination known for its unique blend of traditional and modern cultures.
Is this tour suitable for visitors with mobility issues?
This tour is very walking-intensive; we recommend that visitors with mobility issues reach out to us to ensure we can alter the tour to accommodate their level of mobility.
What happens if it's raining?
This tour is very walking-intensive; we recommend that visitors with mobility issues reach out to us to ensure we can alter the tour to accommodate their level of mobility.
What happens if it's raining?
Our tours happen rain or shine. Our guides are great at adapting their route during changes in weather. Please bring an umbrella.
Is it okay to tip my guide in Japan?
Is it okay to tip my guide in Japan?
Yes. Context clients generally tip anywhere from 10-25% of the purchase price of a personal service such as this, depending on the quality of the experience and their tipping habits.
Where You'll Start
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137 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
Elena was a wonderful guide and, this being our first Context tour, was a solid introduction to your company. She was super friendly, keenly knowledgeable and had an infectious interest in Japan. Can't say enough about her as a guide.
I felt, however, that the tour didn't exactly hit the peak that we were expecting from the description, namely, "Wrapping up our scholar-led Tokyo walking tour through Asakusa, we'll emerge with a stronger understanding of the many roles this neighborhood has played in the history of Edo/Tokyo as well as the area’s overall connection to the rest of the country." While we had a good guided tour of Senso-Ji and the surrounding area, we both agreed that the tour could have benefitted from a stronger commitment to the intended take-away, namely how the neighbourhood of Asakusa fits into the history of Tokyo and Japan. In other words, we needed even more context. But that being said, I've visited Senso-Ji four times in my lifetime and I learned more in 30 minutes with Elena than in the other 4 hours combined.
Daniel
Reviewed on:
Nov 18, 2016
Our group didn't feel like this was a very intellectually stimulating walk. We were really expecting Context to provide exceptionally well informed guides and details into the topic and history. I would have thought this was not a great tour even if I had more average expectations for our guide. She often didn't know how to answer our questions so we stopped asking.
Holly
Reviewed on:
Nov 14, 2016
Really enjoyed the opportunity for a small group, hands-on walk and talk. Learnt so much more than than a self-guided or a follow-the-umbrella big group tour could have provided. Thanks Elena! Will be looking for Context tours wherever we travel now.
Colleen
Reviewed on:
Oct 3, 2016
