Asakusa: Cherry Blossom Viewing and History Tour

Don't miss a rare chance of cherry blossom viewing along the Sumida River followed by a history tour in Asakusa. Stroll on the banks of the Sumida river, a famous spot for cherry blossom viewing for centuries. Enjoy the stunning beauty, ambience, and flavor of the blooming cherry trees with the Tokyo Skytree in the background.

After fully enjoying the cherry blossoms along the Sumida River, we will stroll to Asakusa Culture and Sightseeing Center. This building is located right across the main intersection from Asakusa's landmark Kaminarimon Gate. We will have a birds' eye view of the Sensoji temple.

Kaminarimon gate ("Thunder Gate") is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji temple. The gate, with its huge red lantern and statues, is popular among tourists. The guide will demystify this giant lantern and its surrounding objects.

This shopping street connects Kaminarimon gate and Sensoji-temple's main gate. The 250 m approach is lined with a number of souvenir shops and food stalls. The guide will show you where to buy souvenirs you are interested in. The other fun part of strolling along it is that the guide will buy you traditional snacks in Asakusa; note that the guide may buy snacks in other places in the tour based on your preferences.
Toward the end of this long street, we will see a history tablets on its side which depict how Asakusa started and developed around Sensoji-temple.

The Hōzōmon (Treasure-House Gate) is the inner of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji temple (the outer being the Kaminarimon), Tokyo. A two-story gate, the Hōzōmon's second story houses many of the Sensō-ji's treasures. We will see two statues, three lanterns and two large sandals housed in the first story.

We will see Sensoji temple, from which Asakusa and Tokyo itself develoBetween Hozomon gate and Sensoji's main hall, we have a lot to see and do. On the left, we will see Five-storied Pagoda the second highest (53m-high) pagoda in Japan. It holds Buddha's ashes on its top floor given by Sri Lankan goverment. We will have three major things to observe or do before entering the temple's main hall.
First:
- You may draw omikuji, or paper fortune, to predict your future.
Second:
- Most Japanese stop at the huge bronze incense burner to bathe their hands and faces in the smoke. This is a ritual to ward off illnesses before climbing the stairs to offer their prayers.
Third:
- Water purification fountain which people use to purify themselves before going inside the temple. You will also see a famous sculpture perching on the fountain.

We will now proceed to the main hall of the temple which is the climax of the tour. Look forward to what you will see and the guide will recount there!

To those familiar with religions, it is unfathomable that Busshist temple and shinto shrine coexist on the same premises and share both their origins and worshipers. In that sense, Asakusa shrine is not just another shinto shrine in Japan. The guide will tell you why and you will found how these two religions are ingrained in life of the ordinary Japanese.