Recommended spots in Asakusa that aren't listed in guidebooks
Recently, guidebooks are filled with a lot of information about sightseeing spots. Information that is in a guidebook means that many people know about it, so many people head there and it gets very crowded. So, this time we will introduce recommended spots in Asakusa that are not in the guidebooks. They are perfect as souvenirs for tourists, and few people know about them yet, so please make use of them.
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Walk around Asakusa in a kimono
Have you ever actually gone for a stroll in a kimono? In recent years, more and more people, especially foreign tourists and junior and senior high school girls, who want to wear kimonos, a traditional Japanese costume, are wearing kimonos to take cute and easy-to-read photos for Instagram. As of April 2019, there are about 50 kimono shops in Asakusa. Even if you want to use one on the day, you should be able to find one somewhere, but one of the most recommended is "Kimono Rental VASARA." There are four stores in Asakusa alone, and 21 stores across the country.
If you are not sure which store to use on the day, please contact our industry-only call center that is open all year round and we will guide you to a store that can help you. We can also provide directions, so please make use of it. You can also use it to visit recommended spots that are not listed in guidebooks and take photos at famous tourist spots, so why not take a stroll in a kimono?
Asakusa Whaling Ship: Full of Celebrity Autographs!
This is a whale restaurant located on Roku-ku-dori in Asakusa. It is a simple restaurant with only a counter, but it is visited by many famous people such as comedians and manga artists. The wall behind the counter seats is covered with signatures. They are a wide variety of people, including comedian Beat Takeshi, Chiba Tetsuya from "Ashita no Joe," and Ishibashi Takaaki from Tunnels. Beat Takeshi wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the restaurant.
The lyrics of the song "Asakusa Kid" that he wrote include the line "Kujiraya, a whale shop that only serves stews," and this restaurant was the model for that line. The specialty "Beef stew" (520 yen) is also recommended.
Chinese Botan used by locals
While most of the restaurants cater primarily to tourists, the long-established Chinese restaurant "Chuka Botan" in Asakusa is popular among locals. It offers reasonable prices for a tourist-heavy area like Asakusa. Although it is a Chinese restaurant, we recommend the "Chicken Rice." The chicken rice is fried using the same fried rice technique as the fried rice, making it moist and simple, yet with a deep ketchup and chicken flavor.
A portrait that captures your unique features will become a souvenir that will last a lifetime. Caricature Japan Asakusa
"Caricature" is a way of expressing one's features in an exaggerated way. At Caricature Japan Asakusa, you can have a caricature drawn in front of you in about 10 to 15 minutes. You can come to the store in your everyday clothes, but if you have a caricature drawn in a kimono at a tourist spot, it will be a memory that will last a lifetime.
Pelican on bread
東京メトロ銀座線田原町駅の方に向かうと、昭和17年から続く食パンとロールパンだけを販売している「パンのペリカン」というパン屋さんがあります。ロールパンが1日4000個、食パンが毎日400本販売されていてお昼前の11時には売り切れしてしまうくらいの人気店なんです。電話予約（03-3841-4686）もできるとのことですので、事前に連絡してから足をのばしてみてはいかがでしょうか。
There is also a directly managed cafe located about 5 minutes away from Pelican Bread. It is a popular cafe that is always fully booked. They have created many menu items that make use of their own bread, such as toasted bread and fruit sandwiches. Please come and visit us.
Tsukudani and Yuubaji, the traditional taste of a long-established restaurant
The owner of "Yuban" trained at "Funakin," a long-established store that had been in business for 90 years (closed in 2017), and Yuban is a specialty store for tsukudani that was founded in 2018. Using traditional techniques, they create tsukudani that have never been used before. They have a wide variety of products that are perfect as accompaniments to rice, such as "Shiso wakame tsukudani," "Tarako tsukudani," and "Asari ajillo." They also make great souvenirs, so we hope you will visit us.
Tokiwado Main Store, a long-established store selling Asakusa's famous confectionery "Kaminari Okoshi"
"Kaminari Okoshi" is a simple snack made from roasted rice and starch syrup. "Tokiwado Main Store" is a long-established store established in 1950, and is promoting product development to preserve and evolve the traditional taste for future generations, such as through live sales of Kaminari Okoshi and Kaminari Okoshi-making experiences. Kaminari Okoshi itself is a snack that has taken root in Asakusa, so why not pick it up as a souvenir or snack to eat while walking around Asakusa when you visit the area?
There are many wonderful shops in Asakusa that are not listed in guidebooks.
As Asakusa is an area full of old-fashioned charm, the staff at each store are friendly, and there are many stores that are confident in their taste and products. It's not all in the guidebook. Why not wander around and look for great stores?
You can enjoy it even more if you rent a kimono and go for a walk around Asakusa.
