Walking Asakusa in Kimono: 7 Photo Spots, All Within Walking Distance

A realistic rule is that you will cover about 70% of your usual walking distance in a kimono. This article sticks to seven spots you can reach on foot from our shop in Hanakawado.

The four obvious ones

1) Sensoji main hall and the five-storey pagoda (about 5 minutes from the shop), 2) the great lantern at Kaminarimon, 3) Nakamise shopping street (quieter in the morning), 4) in front of Hozomon gate. You cannot skip these, but around midday they are crowded, so a composition with the person large in frame works well.

Three quieter spots

5) Nitenmon (the vermilion gate, few people), 6) the Skytree backdrop at Sumida Park (open riverside space), 7) the Showa-era streetscape on Denboin-dori. For backlit shots in the late afternoon, the riverside at Sumida Park is the best there is. If you would rather leave it to a professional, we have a photo plan with an hour of accompaniment (from ¥22,000).

Time of day matched to spot

The same place is a different place depending on the hour. Morning (9-10): in front of the Sensoji main hall, the only window when it is quiet enough to shoot head-on. Midday (11-14): Nakamise gets busy, so step one street back and shoot in the side alleys with the crowds as a backdrop. Late afternoon (16-17): the riverside at Sumida Park, where the low sun shows off the colours of the kimono best. After dark: Kaminarimon and the pagoda lit up, which only those on the next-day return option get to see.

Five compositions you can pull off on a phone

1) Lantern as a foreground blur: put the great lantern at Kaminarimon large in the edge of the frame. 2) Low angle on the cobbles: shooting up from below makes the sweep of the kimono hem the subject. 3) From behind, looking back: the obi knot is meant to be seen from the back. 4) Umbrella tunnel: face peeking out from inside a Japanese parasol, a classic. 5) Play with shadows: long late-afternoon shadows give the cleanest kimono silhouette.

Work through those five in order and you have a day’s worth of social media posts.

Back routes to avoid the crowds

When Nakamise is too packed, go one street west to Nishi-Sando shopping street or east to Umamichi-dori. A tenth of the people and plenty of atmosphere. The walk from our Hanakawado shop to Sensoji is itself a quiet spot for photos, with few tourists on it.