
Nakamise Shopping Street
Bustling arcade of about ninety stalls leading to a seventh-century Buddhist temple, rebuilt twice after fire.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Nakamise Shopping Street in Tokyo traces its start back to a deal struck around the 1680s, when residents near Sensoji Temple won the right to sell to pilgrims in exchange for keeping the grounds clean. It follows the arcade through its transformation into brick shopfronts in 1885 and the disasters that struck Tokyo across the twentieth century. Look for the lanterns and green tile roofs still lining the walk between the gate and the temple.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Yanaka Ginza
Retro postwar shopping lane of about sixty family shops, with seven hidden wooden cat statues on its rooftops.
Sensō-ji
Ancient Buddhist temple complex behind a giant red lantern gate, rebuilt after repeated fires and wartime bombing.
Ameyoko market
Postwar black market alley turned bustling street market of street food, seafood, spices and bargain clothing.
Kaminarimon Gate
Towering temple gate with giant red lantern, guarded by statues of the wind and thunder gods.
Asakusa Shrine
Edo-period Shinto shrine honoring three founders of a nearby temple, its wooden hall untouched by fire and earthquake.
Sensō-ji Five-Storied Pagoda
Rebuilt Buddhist pagoda whose topmost story enshrines relic ashes of the Buddha, off-limits to the public.