Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan

Northeast Tokyo holds the ward of Asakusa. This area has many temples and religious sites, the most famous being the Sensō-ji Temple, which was build in 645 AD and is Tokyo's oldest temple.

While wandering up the Akasuka shopping area towards the Sensō-ji Temple I was able to sample lots of interesting local treats, including some really neat little pastries that were like half-cookie, half-donut. An older man was operating a large machine producing these treats, which appeared to be wildly popular with the visitors to the area. They were quite good warm and fresh off the machine.

The Sensō-ji Temple itself is magnificent. It is surrounded in ritual and you get the feeling instantly that the huge souvenir market is an integral part of the temple. Just outside the steps of the temple sits a huge cauldron with incense burning. Visitors pause by the incense and waft the smoke onto themselves before heading up towards the temple.

After visiting the temple I wandered through the commercial and residential areas of Asakusa towards Ueno Park. More descriptions can be found in the pictures: