Asakusa for Kids

A trip to Asakusa is a must when family and friends want to see a more traditional Tokyo. This is home to many temples including Sensoji, Tokyo’s largest Buddhist temple and the famous giant lantern on Kaminarimon. There are many restaurants which have been around for years, serving only their specialty, like soba, tonkatsu, unagi. They’re usually family-run establishments and have been in the same building since they first opened. But there are also family restaurants like Denny’s (convenient when dining with young kids) and newer cafes and food shops like this one we tried called Sweet Sensation. Asakusa is also great for shopping for all sorts of stuff – fans, wind chimes, cute cheap shoes and accessories, bags, small trinkets, traditional foods and seasonings. You can probably find everything here you need for souvenirs, probably along the Nakamise shopping strip. If the kids need to take a break from temple sightseeing and shopping, there is the old Hanayashiki Amusement Park. Although I read on Tokyo With Kids site a comment from one woman who said it’s a bit difficult to go there with 3 year olds. If you can’t get to Hanayashiki, which we weren’t able to do this time around, there is always the rooftop of Matsuya department store, where there are lots of coin operated rides and games for kids to play with and space to run around. Definitely lots to do in Asakusa.