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If you have watched Demon Slayer, you probably remember the night Tanjiro arrives in Asakusa: a glowing shopping street packed with people, lanterns everywhere, and a streetcar rattling past in the foreground. It feels like a fantasy city. But almost everything in that scene was real.
I am a geography teacher who lives in Asakusa. In this series, I walk through the places that appear in the anime and explain what has changed since the Taisho era (1912–1926), what survived, and why. In Part 1, we start at the most famous spot of all: Kaminarimon.
Quick facts
| The scene | Season 1 (Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolution Arc), the Asakusa episodes (Episodes 6–10). Tanjiro meets Muzan in Episodes 7–8. The Asakusa street scene appears in Episode 7, at around 16:20. |
| Best viewpoint | Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, 8F terrace (free) |
| Hours | Terrace open 9:00–22:00, open daily (occasional closures) |
| Time needed | About 30 minutes |
| Nearest station | Tokyo Metro Ginza Line Asakusa Station, Exit 1 (1 min walk) |
Short on time? A small-group walking tour with an English-speaking guide covers Kaminarimon, Nakamise and Senso-ji in about two hours.
The Asakusa Tanjiro saw
The Asakusa episodes are set in the Taisho era, when Asakusa was Tokyo’s biggest entertainment district. Crowds came for the temple, for the shops on Nakamise, and for the theaters and cinemas of Rokku, the district just west of the temple. Towering over it all was Ryounkaku, a twelve-storey tower with Japan’s first electric elevator.
Asakusa in the Taisho era and today. Schematic map by Aozora Walks.
The animation studio clearly studied old records of the city. Look closely at the Kaminarimon scene and you will notice three details that tell you it is not modern Asakusa.
1. There is no Kaminarimon gate
Today, the giant red gate with its huge paper lantern is Asakusa’s symbol. But in Tanjiro’s time, it did not exist. The gate burned down in 1865, and for almost a century there was no permanent gate here. The current Kaminarimon was only rebuilt in 1960, with a donation from Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic. Even without a gate, people still called this street “inside the Kaminari Gate” — you can see those words printed on the old photograph below.
2. A streetcar runs in front of the temple
In the anime, a streetcar passes along the main road in front of Nakamise. That line really existed. Today you will not find it, because the streetcar has been replaced by something underground: the Ginza Line. It opened between Ueno and Asakusa in 1927, just after the Taisho era ended, as Japan’s very first subway. Its Asakusa Station is right beside Kaminarimon, so when you arrive by subway, you are following the same route as the old streetcar, just a few meters below.
3. The kaminari okoshi shop on the corner
On the left corner as you face the gate stands Tokiwado, a shop selling kaminari okoshi, a crunchy puffed-rice sweet that has been Asakusa’s classic souvenir for generations. The shop is in the same place today. The building itself, however, is not from the Taisho era. It was rebuilt after the Tokyo air raids of 1945.
Why so little of Taisho Asakusa survives
Asakusa was destroyed twice in just over twenty years. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 brought down Ryounkaku and burned much of the district. Then, in March 1945, the Tokyo air raids burned it again, along with the main hall of Senso-ji itself.
As a geographer, what fascinates me is what came back. Buildings were lost, but the shape of the place survived: the straight line of Nakamise leading from the main road to the temple, the entertainment district of Rokku to the west, and the river to the east. Asakusa was rebuilt again and again on the same pattern. That is why, even in 2026, you can stand here and still feel the Asakusa of the anime.
Where to see the anime’s view today
Here is the best part. There is a place where you can see Kaminarimon and Nakamise from almost the same angle as the anime: the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, directly across the road from the gate.
The building itself is worth a look. It was designed by Kengo Kuma, one of Japan’s leading architects, whose work in Tokyo includes the National Stadium built for the 2020 Olympics, Takanawa Gateway Station, and the Nezu Museum. Its stacked, house-like floors are a modern take on traditional Japanese rooflines.
Take the elevator to the 8th-floor terrace. It is free and open until 10 p.m. Looking north, you will see the gate below you and Nakamise running straight toward the temple. Come around sunset if you can: as the lights come on, the street starts to look a lot like the night Tanjiro arrived.
Anime vs. today: the same street, 100 years apart
Here is the scene from Episode 7 next to the view I took from the 8th-floor terrace at night. Compare them, and the geography of Asakusa jumps out.
What stayed the same: the layout. In both pictures, Nakamise starts at the main road and runs in a straight line to the temple gate at the far end, with shops packed along both sides. The street plan has survived an earthquake, a war and a century of rebuilding.
What changed: almost everything built on top of that plan. In the anime, there is no Kaminarimon at the entrance, and a streetcar runs along the main road in the foreground. Today, the red gate rebuilt in 1960 stands at the bottom of the frame, the streetcar has been replaced by the Ginza Line running underground, and taller concrete buildings now line the low wooden shopfronts of the Taisho era.
Local tips
- The view from the 7th floor is actually even better for photos. Take the elevator to the 8th floor, then walk down the stairs.
- Every floor has clean restrooms, which are surprisingly hard to find in crowded Asakusa.
- Staff at the information desk speak English and can help with maps and questions.
Good to know before you go
The center itself has very few downsides: it is free, open every day, and right in front of the gate. A few things to keep in mind:
- The terrace closes at 10 p.m., so plan night-view visits accordingly.
- It occasionally closes for maintenance. Check the official website before you go.
- Even at sunset, it is much quieter than the street below. The only wait is usually a few minutes for the elevator on the ground floor.
- Ryounkaku, the tower in the anime, no longer exists. Only a memorial stone marks where it stood. I will take you there in a later part of this series.
Getting there
- Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Asakusa Station, Exit 1: about 1 minute on foot (closest)
- Toei Asakusa Line, Asakusa Station, Exit A4: about 3 minutes
- Tobu Skytree Line, Asakusa Station, main exit: about 3 minutes
- Tsukuba Express, Asakusa Station, Exit A1: about 8 minutes
Make a half day of it
Kaminarimon is just the entrance. Walk up Nakamise to Senso-ji, then explore the back streets around the temple. You can easily spend half a day in Asakusa without getting bored. Tokyo Skytree is also close: about 10 minutes by Toei bus, or one stop on the Tobu Line.
Explore Asakusa with a guide
If you want to hear the stories behind the temple and its streets, a small-group walking tour with an English-speaking guide is a great way to start your visit. For something more memorable, try a rickshaw ride. The pullers know the neighborhood inside out.
This two-hour walking tour with an English-speaking guide starts right at the police box beside Kaminarimon, then takes you along Nakamise Street to Senso-ji and into the back streets around the temple, with some street food along the way.
Where to stay in Asakusa
Staying in Asakusa lets you see Nakamise early in the morning and late at night, when the day-trip crowds are gone.
Richmond Hotel Premier Asakusa International
Why choose: Modern, comfortable rooms within walking distance of Nakamise and Kaminarimon.
Onyado Nono Asakusa
Why choose: A Japanese-style hotel with a natural hot-spring bath, a relaxing end to a day of walking.
Asakusa View Hotel
Why choose: A large hotel with views over the Asakusa rooftops toward Tokyo Skytree.
Next time
In Part 2, we head west to Rokku, Asakusa’s old entertainment district, and find the spot where Ryounkaku once stood. Read Part 2: Ryounkaku, the Tower That Vanished →
Aozora Walks is a fan-made travel guide and is not affiliated with the official Demon Slayer franchise. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba © Koyoharu Gotouge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable.