Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa

Senso-ji and Asakusa Shrine are separate

Senso-ji is a Buddhist temple, while neighboring Asakusa Shrine is a Shinto shrine. They have separate management, worship practices and counters for religious items, even though maps place them around the same address. Explore Senso-ji’s grounds by linking the main hall with Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise shopping street and Hozomon Gate.

Main-hall hours and outdoor walks

The main hall officially opens 06:00–17:00, with a later 06:30 opening from October through March. Visitors are asked to inquire separately about other halls, so not every building opens at the same time. Nakamise shops also keep individual hours. Seeing the grounds at night does not mean the interior of the main hall is open for worship around the clock.

Walking from Asakusa Station

Official access guidance gives five-minute walks from Asakusa stations on the Tobu Skytree Line, Ginza Line and Tsukuba Express, and from Exit A4 on the Toei Asakusa Line. Exit locations differ between lines despite sharing the station name. The temple has no dedicated parking, so drivers should check separate paid facilities such as the municipal Kaminarimon underground car park.

Step-free access and visiting with children

An elevator is on the left when facing the main hall. The official FAQ describes the grounds as level and notes ongoing work to reduce changes in level. There is one accessible multipurpose toilet to the right of Hozomon and another deeper behind the main hall. Each has grab rails, a changing table and a baby seat, but no ostomate facilities.

Purifying your hands and worshipping

The official guide describes the Omizuya water pavilion as a place to cleanse hands and mouth before worship. Use one ladleful from the dragon’s mouth for the sequence, without putting your mouth directly on the ladle. At the main hall, press your palms together rather than clapping as at a Shinto shrine.

1. Hold the ladle in your right hand and wash your left hand.
2. Move it to your left hand and wash your right hand.
3. Hold it in your right hand again and rinse your mouth with water poured into your left hand.
4. Raise the ladle so water runs down and cleans its handle, then return it.

Fortune slips and temple stamps

After drawing an omikuji fortune slip, always return the numbered stick to its container. The temple directs visitors to tie an unfavorable fortune at its designated racks. You need not regard a result as a prediction that must come true.

Goshuin, calligraphic stamps recording a visit, are issued at Yogodo Hall on the west side of the grounds. The main hall and stamp counter are not in the same building; check the grounds map for the route west.

Services and ordinary visits

Regular services take place in the main hall in the morning and at 10:00 and 14:00. Ordinary worship and applications for kaji, special blessing prayers, are separate. Official guidance says blessings for occasions such as a first birthday or Shichi-Go-San, the celebration for children aged three, five and seven, are temporarily by reservation. Confirm the service, reception location and offering. Bathing in incense smoke is a religious custom, not a guarantee of health benefits.

The main hall’s history and what is on view

The temple dates its foundation to 628. The current main hall, also called Kannondo, was rebuilt in 1958 after its predecessor burned down in the 1945 air raids. The principal image is a hidden sacred image, so entering the hall does not mean it is always visible. Follow on-site instructions for indoor photography and access.