NAKAMISE-DORI

Description

Essentials about Nakamise-dori in brief

If you want to have a special kind of shopping experience in Tokyo, you should make your way to Nakamise-dori (Nakamise Street). It is not only one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan, but also one of the most beautiful. The 250-meter-long Nakamise-dori is styled like an Edo period district and connects the Kaminari-mon Gate with the Hozomon Gate of Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple. To the right and left of the street are about 90 stalls where you can shop for souvenirs, traditional Japanese goods and food.

Shopping and eating in Nakamise-dori

Quiet shopping is not something to be expected on Nakamise Street. Every day, thousands of people crowd through the relatively narrow shopping street in search of Japanese wooden mules, Kokeshi wooden dolls, Maneki Neko winky cats, samurai swords and fans in all imaginable colors and sizes.

Nakamise Street is not only a unique shopping experience, but also known for its good street food. At the stalls you can try many typical Tokyo and Japanese specialties, such as ningyoyaki (small sponge cakes filled with bean paste), sembei rice crackers or matcha green tea ice cream.

If you want to see Nakamise Street in a completely different light, you should return again in the evening. Then, beautiful murals depicting the history of Sensō-ji can be seen on the lowered window ledges of the stalls.