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Kaminari mon

Travel Information

Kaminarimon (雷門) is the entrance of Nakamise shopping strip and gate for Senso Temple. In Nakamise strip, there are over 200 stores and you can buy any kinds of Japanese souvenirs. There are many visitors from all over Japan and all over the world.
Tourist Info:
Asakusa (浅草) is the part of Tokyo most famous for the Sensoji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There is also an above-average density of temples in nishi-(west)-Asakusa.
Asakusa is central to the area colloquially referred to as shitamachi (not an official designation), which literally means "low city," referring to the low elevation of this old part of Tokyo, on the banks of the Sumida River. As the name suggests, the area has a less frenetic and more traditionally Japanese atmosphere than some other neighbourhoods of Tokyo.
Access
0. From Tokyo station.
1. use Yamanote line (JR) to Kanda Station. (2 minutes)
2. use Ginza line (Metro) to Asakusa Station. (10 minutes)
3. walk north west (4 minutes)


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Map around Kaminari mon

Detailed Travel Guide

Kaminari mon

The Kaminarimon or the Kaminarimon Gate, is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Senso-ji (the inner being the Hozomon) in Asakusa, Tokyo. Known as the face of Asakusa, the gate sports an ornate lantern and statues, and as a result it is extremely popular with tourists.
The Kaminarimon was first built in 942 by Taira no Kinmasa. It was originally located near Komagata, but it was reconstructed in its current location in 1635. This is believed to be when the statues of Raijin and Fujin were first placed on the gate. The gate has been destroyed many times throughout the ages. Four years after its relocation, the Kaminarimon burned down, and in 1649 Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilt the gate along with several other of the major structures in the temple complex. The Kaminarimon's current incarnation dates back to 1960.
The busy shopping street leading from the Kaminarimon gate to the temple is the covered Nakamise arcade, selling all sorts of Buddhist paraphernalia as well as assorted tourist kitsch. This is one of the best places in Tokyo to buy souvenirs (the other being the Oriental Bazaar in Omotesando), but note more expensive items such as swords and kimonos are likely to be of inferior quality. There are 54 shops in East side, 35 shops in West side; 89 shops in total
(Reference: wikipedia, wikitravel)