The Best and Worst Times to Visit Asakusa

Best:

1. Weekdays

One of the greatest parts of travelling is that you have the option of visiting famous landmarks and sites while everyone else is in work or school. As a result, weekdays are the best day to visit Sensoji Temple. It will still be crowded, but the crowds are typically manageable.

2. Early Mornings

Early mornings, long before noon, are some of the best times to visit Asakusa's Sensoji Temple. Since most tourists or young people living in Tokyo tend to balk at the idea of waking up especially early to go on a trip, if you go early in the morning, you can skip most of the crowds.

While the main hall of Sensoji Temple is only open from 6:00am – 5:00pm, the grounds of the temple are always open.

After you see the Temple, you can grab breakfast or an early lunch at any of the delicious Japanese restaurants in Asakusa.

3. The Evening.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Sensoji Temple is the nightlights. If you are lucky, you can get there just before the shops on Nakamise-dori Road close to get some light shopping in. Then, you can watch the sun set over Sensoji Temple and the night lights turn on. Furthermore, since shops tend to close before sunset, most people leave the grounds around that time. It is rarely crowded in the evening. Afterwards, eat a traditional dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Asakusa.

Worst:

1. The Week after New Years

New Year's Day is arguably both the best and worst time to visit Asakusa's Sensoji Temple. For the couple days after New Years (January 1st), thousands of Japanese families flock to nearby temples to pay their respects as well as pray for safety, good fortune, and health for the New Year. It can be interesting for foreigners because the days after New Years is probably the most crowded you will ever see Asakusa's Sensoji Temple. However, those kinds of crowds can also be painful.

2. Holidays

Just like during the New Year's season, couples, families, and groups of friends like to travel to famous tourist spots on holidays. The Japanese calendar has several holidays that will significantly increase the traffic in Sensoji-Temple, but as long as you avoid the week after New Years and Golden Week, you should be fine. If you end up at Sensoji Temple during holidays, rather than eating at a Japanese restaurant in Asakusa, walk near Sensoji Temple and look for Japanese festival street food.

3. Weekends

The number of visitors to Asakusa's Sensoji Temple roughly doubles on weekends. Couples, families with small children, and groups of friends often travel here to stroll through the Nakamise-dori Road and take pictures of Sensoji Temple. Japanese restaurants in Asakusa will also be crowded, so you might have to wait quite a while in line to get food.

4. Golden Week

Golden Week is one of the few holidays that Japanese people nearly unanimously get off, set in the end of April or beginning of May. As a result, most of the tourist spots in Tokyo, such as Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Sky Tree, and Asakusa Sensoji Temple are packed. Traveling during Golden Week, especially in Tokyo, is typically considered a bad idea.