Favourites from: Asakusa, Tokyo

On our trip to Tokyo last October, we stayed in a neighbourhood new to us all. Both myself and my parents having been to Tokyo a few times before, we wanted to stay somewhere new. We booked an apartment in Asakusa, on the eastern side of Tokyo, across the river from Tokyo Skytree.

We stayed in MIMARU SUITES Tokyo Asakusa Station just north of the Asakusa Train Station. Around the corner lives a mini mart and a little further down the road, a Starbucks. While I don’t mind being a clique for the right cause, we always end up at Starbucks in Japan. It’s one of the only things open early (from 7am) and when you’re travelling with a toddler, you’re usually up and outside walking around by then. My favourite coffee in Japan (and Asia) is % Arabica. They have 2 locations in Azabundai Hills, near Tokyo Tower, but sadly that’s it for Tokyo! If you’re wandering around Cat Street in Shinjuku, Chop Coffee is great too, as well as dotcom space in Shibuya. Great coffee is easy to find in Tokyo… if it's 11am and you’re in the middle of Tokyo. There is also a cafe by the brand Rag & Bone, downstairs to their boutique called Rag & Bone Coffee, in Shibuya, which is on my list to visit on our next trip to Tokyo.

Asakusa is not a hidden gem in Tokyo, it’s a well known prefecture filled with history, and often filled with tourists. It’s home to Sensoji Temple, which is the oldest established temple in Tokyo. It was bombed in World War 2, and then rebuilt between 1951 and 1958. The Temple was rebuilt the same and gives you a look into the older Tokyo, the Tokyo that was filled with historical charm before the bombings.

Early mornings (8-10am) are a great time to wander around Asakusa before the crowds arrive. I loved being able to see every shop front before it was filled with people, and would make a list of places I wanted to go back to when they opened. Asakusa isn’t huge, so this was more than possible. Some bigger areas of Tokyo are best explored in opening hours though, as you end up walking so far, you may not end up circling back to where you started. We wandered around the Temple from 7:30am some mornings, allowing the energy filled 2 year old to run his heart out. One morning when we were there we walked through the temple grounds and out the other side to find a line of people waiting for something that we could only smell to begin. Sweet and delicious. We lined up blindly (the lines are usually a sign of something worth waiting for) and found out it was Melon Bread (and the best in Japan, apparently). A sweet, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside bread, that you can fill with various toppings. We chose soft serve ice cream.

Another morning we headed in the same direction, to find a side of the temple grounds lined in various food trucks. They had everything from calamari to gilled corn. Mostly savoury options, but fun Japanese street food that I don’t come across again while we where there.

These was a beautiful pottery shop we visited (pictured below) that I wish I knew where it was! All I remember was it being on a side street of a semi-main strip of undercover shops. Not at all helpful! If you do come across it, it’s filled with beautiful pottery. Some very unique and hand painted, some more commercial. Either way, I found all their styles to feel uniquely Japanese, and vastly different to what you’d find in Australia.

Nakamise Shopping Street acts as a runway up to the Temple Gate. Lined with permanent market stall shops, you’ll find just about any souvenir you could dream of. I found the cutest little painted paper animal masks. I’m pretty sure they have some cultural significance, but I chose the horse because I want to hang it in my new bathroom when it’s done. We also came across a shop that was full to the brim with Yuzu products. Yuzu syrup, Yuzu bath salts, Yuzu salts.

Behind Nakamise shopping street (to the right if you’re walking towards the temple gates) there is a strip of various food shops, our favourite being the strawberry shop. Will ate just about every variation of a strawberry they offered. As someone who like fresh strawberries, I found the sugar coated ones to be a bit much! However, the strawberry smoothie/milkshake/drink with cream on top was excellent. 

There’s so much more to do in Asakusa, and Tokyo! My biggest tip is to research neighbourhoods and choose your accommodation location wisely. Tokyo is big, and while you can get pretty much anywhere by train, it can be a long journey from one side to the other. I recommend choose accomodation locations based on how you want to spend the first few hours of your day. For us, its outside going for a walk or to a park. For you, it might be going for a walk to find a good coffee! Either way, Tokyo doesn’t wake up until around 10am, so your immediate surroundings are often best explored in the mornings!