Asakusa Underground Shopping Street

1-1-12 Asakusa, Taitō Ward, Tokyo, Japan

The Asakusa Underground Street is a must-visit retro wonderland—intriguing, nostalgic, and incredibly photogenic. Construction began beneath Umamichi Street in February 1954, and when it opened on 28 January 1955, it served as a clever subterranean shortcut connecting the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line‘s Asakusa Station to Sensō-ji Temple via Shin-Nakamise (Shinnaka) Arcade.

Laid out with 4-meter-wide walkways, it is hosting around 20 shops nestled into compact 4×4-meter plots.

The passages feel cozy, filled with the smoky aroma of sizzling yakisoba, where you’ll need to watch out for dripping pipes and low ceilings.

It’s not a crafted theme park attraction. Historically, Japan’s very first underground shopping street was the Kanda Sudamachi Subway Store, opening in 1929. Later, during the post-war era, the Ginza Miharabashi Underground Street was completed almost simultaneously with the one in Asakusa. However, because the Kanda and Ginza locations have since closed due to earthquake safety concerns, Asakusa stands alone today as Japan’s oldest surviving underground shopping street.

Both Exits 8 and 6 are absurdly narrow and inconvenient. Yet, despite being positioned right at the bustling crossroads of three major train lines—the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tobu Skytree Line, and Toei Asakusa Line—this space still clings tightly to its Showa-retro vibe, existing even today like a world apart.