Skip to content
Japan
Deutsche Version

Tokyo · Special ward

Taito

台東区たいとうくTaitō-ku

Temples, museums and the old shitamachi of Asakusa and Ueno

Taito is the special ward that preserves the atmosphere of shitamachi, Tokyo's old commoner town. It contains Asakusa with Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, and Ueno Park with Japan's leading museums – including Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art, a World Heritage site – as well as the Ameyoko market and the temple-filled lanes of Yanaka.

Overview

Taito is the smallest of Tokyo's 23 wards by area but one of the richest in history. It lies on the low ground west of the Sumida River and on the Ueno hill, and was formed in 1947 from the former Shitaya and Asakusa wards – the heart of Edo's commoner culture, of temple fairs, theatres, pleasure quarters and craftsmen's workshops.

Asakusa grew around Senso-ji, a temple of the bodhisattva Kannon founded, according to legend, in 628. Its Kaminarimon gate, the shop-lined Nakamise approach and the Sanja Festival draw visitors in great numbers. Ueno, on the hill to the west, was the site of Kan'ei-ji, the Tokugawa family temple destroyed in the Battle of Ueno in 1868; its grounds became Ueno Park, where the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Ueno Zoo stand.

The ward remains a place of small businesses and traditions: the kitchenware wholesalers of Kappabashi, the market streets of Ameyoko, craftsmen of Edo glass and leather goods, and the old wooden houses and temples of Yanaka, which survived both the 1923 earthquake and the 1945 air raids.

Landmarks

  • Senso-ji

    浅草寺Sensō-ji

    Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple, entered through the Kaminarimon with its giant red lantern and the Nakamise shopping street.

  • Asakusa Shrine

    浅草神社Asakusa Jinja

    Shrine of 1649 beside Senso-ji, dedicated to the men who found the Kannon statue; home of the Sanja Festival.

  • Tokyo National Museum

    東京国立博物館Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan

    Japan's oldest and largest museum, with the world's greatest collection of Japanese art, including many National Treasures.

  • National Museum of Western Art

    国立西洋美術館Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan

    Le Corbusier's only building in East Asia (1959), built for the Matsukata collection; part of a transnational World Heritage site.

  • Ueno Park

    上野恩賜公園Ueno Onshi Kōen

    Hilltop park with museums, the Shinobazu Pond, Ueno Toshogu and one of Tokyo's most popular cherry-blossom avenues.

  • Ueno Toshogu

    上野東照宮Ueno Tōshōgū

    Gilded shrine to Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose buildings of 1651 survived earthquakes and war.

  • Ameyoko

    アメ横Ameyoko

    Busy market street under and beside the tracks between Ueno and Okachimachi, grown from a post-war black market.

  • Kappabashi

    かっぱ橋道具街Kappabashi Dōgu-gai

    Street of kitchenware wholesalers selling knives, pottery and the plastic food samples of restaurant windows.

Districts

  • Asakusa

    浅草Asakusa

    Temple town with rickshaws, traditional shops, theatres and views of the Tokyo Skytree across the river.

  • Ueno

    上野Ueno

    Museums, the zoo, the park and the busy station area with Ameyoko.

  • Yanaka

    谷中Yanaka

    A quiet quarter of temples, a large cemetery, wooden houses and small galleries, part of the Yanesen area.

  • Kuramae

    蔵前Kuramae

    Former rice-warehouse district by the Sumida, now known for craft workshops, cafés and design shops.

  • Okachimachi

    御徒町Okachimachi

    Jewellery wholesalers and discount stores south of Ueno.

History

According to legend, two fishermen pulled a statue of Kannon from the Sumida River in 628, and Senso-ji was built to house it. In 1625 the abbot Tenkai founded Kan'ei-ji on the Ueno hill as a guardian temple for Edo Castle, modelled on Enryaku-ji in Kyoto. After the great fire of 1657, the licensed pleasure quarter of Yoshiwara was moved north of Asakusa, and in the 1840s the kabuki theatres were relocated to Asakusa as well, making the area Edo's entertainment centre.

In 1868 shogunate loyalists were defeated on the Ueno hill, and the ruined temple precinct became one of Japan's first public parks in 1873. Asakusa's Rokku district turned into Tokyo's leading entertainment quarter of cinemas and theatres, and Japan's first subway opened between Asakusa and Ueno in 1927. Senso-ji burned in 1945 and its main hall was rebuilt in 1958.

  1. 628

    Traditional founding date of Senso-ji.

  2. 1625

    Tenkai founds Kan'ei-ji on the Ueno hill.

  3. 1657

    The Yoshiwara pleasure quarter is moved north of Asakusa.

  4. 1868

    The Battle of Ueno ends shogunate resistance in Edo.

  5. 1873

    Ueno Park is designated one of Japan's first public parks.

  6. 1882

    Ueno Zoo and the museum that becomes the Tokyo National Museum open in the park.

  7. 1927

    Japan's first subway line opens between Asakusa and Ueno.

  8. 1947

    Taito Ward is formed from Shitaya and Asakusa wards.

  9. 1959

    Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art opens; it is inscribed as World Heritage in 2016.

Culture

Taito is the stronghold of shitamachi culture: portable-shrine festivals, rakugo at Suzumoto Engeijo in Ueno, comedy theatres in Asakusa's Rokku district and traditional crafts. Ueno Park is Japan's greatest museum quarter, and the Tokyo University of the Arts, on its northern edge, makes the area a centre of art and music education.

Festivals

  • Sanja Festival

    三社祭Sanja Matsuri

    On the third weekend of May, Asakusa Shrine's three great portable shrines and about a hundred neighbourhood mikoshi are carried through the streets.

  • Hozuki Market

    ほおずき市Hōzuki-ichi

    On 9–10 July, Senso-ji's precincts fill with stalls selling Chinese lantern plants and wind chimes.

  • Tori-no-ichi at Otori Shrine

    酉の市Tori-no-ichi

    On the days of the rooster in November, one of Tokyo's largest markets for decorated bamboo rakes.

  • Asakusa Samba Carnival

    浅草サンバカーニバルAsakusa Sanba Kānibaru

    A samba parade competition held in late summer since 1981.

Food

  • Tendon

    天丼tendon

    Tempura on rice with a sweet soy sauce, served by century-old Asakusa restaurants.

  • Dojo nabe

    どぜう鍋dojō-nabe

    Loaches simmered in a shallow iron pot with spring onions, an Edo dish still served near Asakusa.

  • Kaminari okoshi

    雷おこしkaminari okoshi

    Crunchy puffed-rice crackers, the classic souvenir of the Kaminarimon.

  • Tonkatsu

    とんかつtonkatsu

    Ueno and Okachimachi are home to some of Tokyo's oldest pork-cutlet restaurants.

  • Ningyo-yaki

    人形焼ningyōyaki

    Small cakes filled with bean paste, baked fresh along Nakamise.

Getting around

  • Ueno Station is served by the Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen and the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines; Keisei Ueno is the terminus of the Skyliner from Narita Airport.
  • The Ginza subway line links Ueno and Asakusa in about five minutes; the Toei Asakusa Line runs through to Haneda and Narita airports.
  • Tobu trains to Nikko and Kinugawa depart from Tobu Asakusa Station.
  • Water buses on the Sumida River leave from Asakusa for Hama-rikyu and Odaiba.

Day trips

  • Nikko

    Tobu limited expresses from Asakusa reach Nikko in about two hours.

  • Narita

    Naritasan Shinshoji, about an hour by Keisei from Ueno.

  • Chiyoda

    The Imperial Palace and Akihabara, a few stops south.

  • Mito

    Kairakuen garden, by JR Joban Line limited express from Ueno.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalShinjukuShinjuku-kuSkyscrapers, neon and the seat of Tokyo's governmentSpecial wardChiyodaChiyoda-kuThe palace, the Diet and Tokyo Station at the heart of JapanSpecial wardChuoChūō-kuEdo's merchant heart, from Nihonbashi to GinzaCore cityHachiojiHachiōji-shiMount Takao and the silk town at Tokyo's western edgeSpecial wardMinatoMinato-kuEmbassies, art museums and Tokyo Tower on the baySpecial wardShibuyaShibuya-kuFashion, youth culture and a forest shrine in the heart of Tokyo

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to visit Senso-ji?

Early morning or evening, when the crowds are thinner; after dark the temple buildings and the pagoda are illuminated.

Which museums are in Ueno Park?

The Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Ueno Royal Museum, among others.

Is the Tokyo Skytree in Taito?

No. The Skytree stands across the Sumida River in Sumida Ward, a short walk or one stop from Asakusa.

What is Yanesen?

The combined name for Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi, a neighbourhood on the borders of Taito and Bunkyo wards with old-town streets, temples and small shops.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.台東区ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 台東区 (Taito City)
  2. 2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
  3. 3.The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  4. 4.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — JNTO

Editorial team · Published: