All Within a 10-minute Walk from Asakusa Station! 3 Best Spots Making You Feel Like Having Fun in a Japanese Festival

In this issue, let’s look around fun spots that are experience-oriented in Asakusa area. We’ve selected 3 recommended places for you to feel the excitement as going to a Japanese festival. As each one is within a 10-minute walk from Asakusa Station on the Ginza and Toei Asakusa Lines, you can go have fun at all of them while eating around in the area.

Enjoy goldfish scooping, a tradition of Japanese summer festivals since the Edo era, all year round at “Asakusa Kingyo”, the place where famous actress Satomi Ishihara enjoyed goldfish scooping

“Asakusa Kingyo” (浅草きんぎょ) is a goldfish scooping and goldfish themed knick-knack store operated by ‘Kagetsudo’ (花月堂), which is famous for ‘Jumbo Melon Bread’ (ジャンボメロンパン). The highlight here is the goldfish scooping for no matter what. In the middle of the store, where tableware and accessories with goldfish motifs are lined up, a water tank made of cypress is placed, and you can enjoy goldfish scooping all year round. Goldfish scooping is one of the Japanese traditional attractions in summer festivals, however, when it comes here, since It’s indoors, you don’t have to care about the weather and the season. Goldfish scooping costs 300 yen per game, and you can get two ‘poi’, the traditional paper scoops. You can of course return them into the tank if you don’t feel like keeping them back home, you can take on the challenge without any concerns. For your information, there are two types that can be scooped up: small red goldfish and telescope goldfish. If you’ve never tried goldfish scooping before, it is recommended to aim for telescope goldfish as it swims relatively slower. As the highest number of goldfish scooped of the day is displayed, challenge to make your record highest on the very day.

Opening Hours	9:00AM – 4:30PM
Address	2-7-13 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 8-minute walk from Asakusa Station A 11-minute walk from Hotel Gracery Asakusa A 5-minute walk from Hotel Tavinos Asakusa
URL	https://asakusa-kingyo.crayonsite.net

At “Asakusa Taiyaki Kobo Guraku”, make your own full-fledged taiyaki whose harmony of gentle dough and ingredients are superb

“Asakusa Taiyaki Kobo Guraku” (浅草たい焼き工房 求楽) has an impressive exterior just like a torii, a gate to a shrine and is a popular place where you can cook your own taiyaki from flour using real equipment used by professionals. Not only the necessary materials and equipment, but also other items such as an apron are prepared for you, so that you can visit and participate empty-handed. Though there are many items such as bean jam, custard, curry, tuna mayo, fruits, and matcha also prepared for you to use as ingredients, you can bring your own favorite ones the way you like. First of all, watch a video regarding the history of taiyaki and the process of making it. After that, with the careful guidance of experienced staff, you’ll cook your own taiyaki with plenty of ingredients wrapped in soft dough. The freshly made hot taiyaki must be nothing but exquisite. Each one can make up to 6 taiyakis, and leftovers can be taken home as souvenirs. The experience fee is 3,850 yen and it takes around one and a half hours.

Opening Hours	<Taiyaki cooking experience>9:00AM – 10:00PM *Reservation required <Take Away>11:00AM – 6:00PM <Café>11:00AM – 6:00PM
Address	2-3-2 Nishi-Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 8-minute walk from Asakusa Station A 11-minute walk from Hotel Gracery Asakusa A 12-minute walk from Hotel Tavinos Asakusa
URL	https://guraku.jp/english/

Feel of exhilaration and accomplishment at “Kawara Smash Kawarana” where you can casually drop in and break tiles just for fun

As the name expresses, “Kawara Smash Kawarana” (瓦割りカワラナ) is a place where you can simply break kawara, traditional tiles, for fun or for easing your stress. The purpose of doing tile-breaking is totally up to you. Some do just for fun while some do for wishing for luck. It’s also good for your SNS post as it definitely grabs attention. Since making a reservation is not required, you can easily drop in and have some exciting moments. For your safer and more secured experience, rental gloves and a polite lecture by its employees are always available. Standard plans are “5-tile challenge” and “10-tile challenge” in which you get to challenge to break 5 tiles and 10 tiles with your smash respectively. There’s also a unique plan called “break request 8-tile challenge” with which you can wish for a big break of a certain person or a product by breaking 8 tiles. The place will help you make it a big break by spreading your wish through social media as well. By the way, “5-tile challenge” is the most popular and is 2,000 yen. In case you’re not confident enough, you can challenge even from one piece of tile so that you can make a competition with your partner or with your kids.

Opening Hours	10:00AM – 5:00PM on Weekends and National Holidays / Closed on Weekdays
Address	2-27-17 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo Prefecture
アクセス	A 10-minute walk from Asakusa Station A 13-minute walk from Hotel Gracery Asakusa A 4-minute walk from Hotel Tavinos Asakusa
URL	https://kawarana.jp/