Good with caveats. A strong list of ideas with plenty of photos, but verify hours and fares before you build a day around them.
Good fortune
- 33 ideas in one place, including less obvious ones
- Plenty of photos to help you picture each place
- Current Hanayashiki prices when we checked
- Clear affiliate disclosure
Tie it to the rack
- Some fares and hours are wrong or out of date
- Small team, slow to update other articles
- Heavy on booking links
At Senso-ji you tie a bad fortune to the rack and leave it behind. We use the same scale for our verdicts.
Plan My Japan is a travel blog run by two co-founders: Caroline, a designer and photographer, and Neil, who spent 18 years in travel marketing. Its Asakusa article, a list of 33 things to do with the site's own photos, is one of the pages you are most likely to hit when you search for Asakusa ideas. We read it line by line and checked its practical details against official sources. Short version: great for deciding what to do, not always right on how and when.
What the Asakusa guide covers
The article is long and broad. Its 33 entries run from the obvious (Senso-ji, Nakamise, Asakusa Shrine) to the more interesting: the free observation terrace on top of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, the Asakusa Underground Street, Don Quijote, Hanayashiki, the Bandai Namco Museum, Kappabashi kitchen street, the water bus, kimono rental, rickshaws, Hoppy Street, the Asakusa Sumo Club, Sumida Park, go-karts and festivals. Separate articles expand on Hoppy Street, the Bandai Namco Museum and Kappabashi.
The photos are a highlight. There are plenty of them, and they help you picture the streets and the scale before you arrive. If you're still working out whether Asakusa deserves a half day or a whole one, it is a pleasant way to find out. Our own things to do in Asakusa overview and the nearby guide cover much of the same ground.
If the list convinces you to book something, these are the Asakusa experiences with the deepest review records, with live prices:
Prices are the lowest option the platform shows, in US dollars, and move with dates and exchange rates. The booking page is final. Prices checked: September 28, 2026.
Where it is right
The Hanayashiki entry was current when we checked: ¥1,600 for adults, ¥800 for children from age 5 through elementary school (and for seniors), free for under-fives. That matters, because several other English-language sites, including big ones, still show the old ¥1,200 admission. Our Hanayashiki guide has the full price list, including the ¥3,000 unlimited-ride pass.
It is also good at pointing out places visitors miss. The Underground Street, a short arcade opened in 1955 next to the Ginza Line station and now Japan's oldest surviving underground shopping street, is a good example; see our Underground Street guide for what is there now.
Where it goes wrong
We found two concrete errors in the practical details.
Observatory hours. The guide gives the Tourist Information Center's observation deck as open 9:00–22:00. That is correct for the 8th-floor terrace only. The information desk, currency exchange and 8th-floor café close at 20:00. If you plan to ask for help or change money after dinner, you will find the terrace open and the desk closed. Our Tourist Information Center review lists what closes when.
Water-bus fares. The fares quoted for boats from Asakusa don't match Tokyo Cruise's current table. The official one-way adult fares are:
| From Asakusa to | Boat | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|
| Odaiba Seaside Park | Himiko, Hotaluna or Emeraldas | ¥2,000 |
| Hinode Pier | Standard water bus | ¥1,000 |
| Hinode Pier | Hotaluna | ¥1,400 |
| Hama-rikyu (includes garden entry) | Standard water bus | ¥1,180 |
Hama-rikyu tickets are sold only at the Asakusa pier ticket machines, not online. For timetables and which boat to choose, see our Sumida Park and river guide. If you would rather have a ticket in hand before you go, one is below:
Prices are the lowest option the platform shows, in US dollars, and move with dates and exchange rates. The booking page is final. Prices checked: September 28, 2026.
One of its better tips is the Tourist Information Center terrace itself. The 8th-floor terrace is free, opposite Kaminarimon, and looks straight down Nakamise to Senso-ji with Skytree in view; the building, designed by Kengo Kuma, is worth a look even if you don't need information. We agree with Plan My Japan that it belongs on any first visit, ideally in the evening when the temple is lit up.
How often it is updated
The Asakusa article has been revised since it was first published, which is a good sign. But the site is a two-person operation, and other articles lag: its Odaiba guide was still featuring the life-size Gundam statue some time after the statue had closed. Treat any hours, prices and "currently showing" details as a starting point and confirm them on the official site.
How it makes money
Plan My Japan is open about this. Its About page lists sponsored posts, press trips, paid social media work, Amazon Associates and affiliate links, and the Asakusa article opens with a note that it may contain affiliate links to tours and hotels.
It is a common assumption that the site works only with Klook. It doesn't. The Asakusa article links to Klook, GetYourGuide, Viator, Booking.com, Agoda, Hostelworld, Trip.com, Expedia, Airalo, Discover Cars and Stay22. That spread isn't a problem in itself (we earn from two of those), but it does mean the booking links are a large part of the page, and you should expect every attraction to come with a "book here" button.
How it compares with other planning sites
Against japan-guide.com, Plan My Japan is prettier, more personal and more opinionated, and less exact. japan-guide is where we would check an opening time; Plan My Japan is where we would get ideas for a free afternoon. The two work well together.
Against a neighborhood guide like ours, the difference is depth. A 33-item list has to keep each entry short, so things like which Senso-ji gate to enter by, or when the goshuin desk closes (16:30, at Yogodo Hall, not the main hall), don't fit. Our Senso-ji guide is built for that level of detail.
Verdict
Read Plan My Japan for inspiration and for the photos. Before you commit to anything time- or money-sensitive — last boats, opening hours, ticket prices — check the operator's own site or our guides, which link to them. And if an idea from the list becomes a plan, this walking tour is a good way to cover the core sights in one morning:
Book a Senso-ji walking tour from US$22.26 · GetYourGuide