Tokyo's oldest temple and its tallest tower are twenty minutes apart on foot
Skytree and Asakusa in one day
These two sit on opposite banks of the Sumida and make the most natural pairing in eastern Tokyo — a seventh-century temple quarter and a twenty-first-century tower, with a river walk between them. Here is how to sequence a day so the light and the crowds work in your favour.
Book your Skytree entry ↗Why they pair well
Beyond simple proximity, the contrast is the point: Senso-ji was founded in the seventh century and Skytree opened in 2012, and standing in one while looking at the other is one of the more effective ways to feel how much of Tokyo's history is stacked in a small area. The walk between them takes about twenty minutes and crosses the river with the tower ahead of you the whole way.
The right order
Asakusa first, Skytree second. Senso-ji is at its best early — the approach through Nakamise-dori is nearly empty before about nine, and by eleven it is shoulder to shoulder. Skytree is at its best later, when the light is low. Doing it the other way round means fighting a crowd at the temple and reaching the tower at its flattest hour.
Morning: Senso-ji
Enter through the Kaminarimon with its enormous red lantern, walk the length of Nakamise-dori, and go through the Hozomon into the main hall. The temple grounds are open around the clock even when the hall itself is not, which is why arriving early works so well. Give it an hour and a half, more if you want the Asakusa Shrine and the garden behind the temple.
Late morning: the old quarter
The streets west and north of the temple are the part most visitors skip and the part most worth having. Traditional craft shops, the old Hanayashiki amusement park, and a good number of small restaurants that are considerably better and cheaper than anything on the main approach.
Lunch
Asakusa is the better side of the river for this. Tempura and unagi are the local specialities and there are long-established places for both. Eat here rather than at the tower — the base complex has plenty of food but it is a shopping-centre experience.
Early afternoon: the river
Walk down to the Sumida and cross toward the tower, or take one of the water buses if you would rather see the city from the river. Sumida Park runs along the bank and is lined with cherry trees, which makes this stretch exceptional in early April and pleasant the rest of the year.
Late afternoon: Tokyo Solamachi
Arrive at the tower with an hour or so before your slot and use it in the base complex rather than queuing. The Sumida Aquarium is here if you have the time and the inclination; otherwise the shopping floors are a comfortable way to pass an hour and there is a well-known view of the tower from the terrace on the roof of the west yard.
Evening: the tower
Book a slot about forty minutes before sunset. That gives you the city in daylight, the sunset itself, and the blue half-hour with the lights coming on, all within one ticket. Do a full circuit before you settle — the northern and southern views are entirely different.
Walking back
Rather than taking a packed train down with everyone else, walk back over the river to Asakusa in the dark with the tower lit behind you. It takes twenty minutes and it is the best part of the day.