Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa: free English audio guide

Senso-ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo, founded on a legend from the year 628. Walk from Kaminarimon up Nakamise to the main hall with this free audio guide in your earphones: stories, legends and things to look for at each stop.

Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa audio guideFor earphones, as you walk (10 tracks)

PochikaYour guide around Tokyo

Sagi-senseiTemples, gardens and history

KasukeHidden spots and surprises

ChunOld town, shops and festivals

▶ Play from the startNext ▶▶

1. WelcomePochika
2. How it all beganSagi-sensei
3. Kaminarimon GateKasuke
4. Nakamise-doriChun
5. Hozomon Gate and the giant sandalsSagi-sensei
6. The incense burnerKasuke
7. The main hallSagi-sensei
8. The five-story pagodaChun
9. Asakusa ShrineKasuke
10. GoodbyePochika

Keeps playing with the screen off. It stops after each spot: when you arrive at the next one, tap “Next” or ▶▶ on your lock screen. Voices: Kokoro (open-source text-to-speech)

Visiting info

Checked on 2026-10-27 against the official pages. Hours can change; please check the official page before you go.

Transcript

1. Welcome (Pochika)

Welcome to Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo! I'm Pochika, your guide. An estimated thirty million people visit here every year. Entry is free. The main hall opens at six in the morning, six thirty from October to March, and closes at five in the afternoon. Let's start at the big red gate, Kaminarimon.

2. How it all began (Sagi-sensei)

I'm Sagi-sensei. Here is the story of how this temple began. In the year 628, two fishermen brothers, Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari, were fishing in the Sumida River. In their net, they found a small statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The village head, Haji no Nakatomo, knew what it was, and turned his own house into a temple. In 645, a priest named Shokai built a hall for the statue, and after a dream, he hid it from view. It has never been shown to anyone since.

3. Kaminarimon Gate (Kasuke)

Hey, I'm Kasuke. This is Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate. On the right stands Fujin, the god of wind, and on the left, Raijin, the god of thunder. They protect the temple from storms, floods and fire. The lantern is three point nine meters tall and weighs about seven hundred kilograms. Now, look underneath it. There's a dragon carved on the bottom! Here's a story. After a fire in 1865, there was no permanent gate here for about ninety-five years. In 1960, Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of the company that became Panasonic, paid to rebuild it. The lantern is renewed about every ten years. The newest one went up in 2020, handmade in Kyoto.

4. Nakamise-dori (Chun)

Hi, I'm Chun! This is Nakamise, the shopping street that leads to the temple. It's about two hundred and fifty meters long, with eighty-nine shops. Sometime between 1688 and 1735, the people who looked after temple visitors were given the right to open shops along this path. That makes it one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan! In 1885 the government cleared everyone out and built Western-style brick shops. They fell in the great earthquake of 1923, and the concrete shops you see now were built in 1925.

5. Hozomon Gate and the giant sandals (Sagi-sensei)

This second gate is the Hozomon, the Treasure House Gate. The first gate here was built in 942. The one you see now was rebuilt in 1964, with space inside to keep the temple's treasures. Look at the giant straw sandals on the back. Each one is four and a half meters long and weighs five hundred kilograms! They are made in Murayama, in Yamagata Prefecture, and a new pair is offered about every ten years. The custom began in 1941.

6. The incense burner (Kasuke)

Kasuke here. See everyone waving smoke at themselves? This is the big incense burner. People believe that if you wave the smoke over a part of your body that hurts, it will get better faster. Some people wave it over their head, hoping to get smarter! You can buy incense sticks at the stall on the left, as you walk toward the main hall.

7. The main hall (Sagi-sensei)

This is the main hall, where the hidden Kannon is kept. The hall built by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu was a National Treasure, but it burned in the air raid of March 10, 1945. The hall you see now was rebuilt in 1958, with donations from people all over Japan. Look up at the ceiling paintings. In July 2023, the dragon painting partly came loose from the ceiling and hung down over visitors. Luckily, no one was hurt.

8. The five-story pagoda (Chun)

Chun again! Look at the five-story pagoda. It's about fifty-three meters tall. The first pagoda here was built in 942. It burned in 1945 and was rebuilt in 1973. Inside, it keeps relics of the Buddha, a gift from a royal temple in Sri Lanka!

9. Asakusa Shrine (Kasuke)

Right next to the main hall is Asakusa Shrine. People call it Sanja-sama, the shrine of three, because it honors three people linked to the temple's founding story. The building was put up by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1649, and it survived the air raids of 1945. Every May, the Sanja Matsuri festival here draws about one point eight million people. And look for the pair of husband-and-wife guardian dogs. They're said to bring luck to couples.

10. Goodbye (Pochika)

That's the end of the Senso-ji guide. Thanks for walking with us! The Kaminarimon gate is open all the time and is lit up at night. Check Kyochika for events near your next stop. See you again!

FAQ

Is the audio guide free?

Yes, completely free. No app and no sign-up: just open this page in your phone browser and press play.

Do I need a reservation?

Free, no reservation

Where does the tour start?

At Kaminarimon gate, about 5 minutes from Asakusa Station. The tracks follow the walk up Nakamise to Hozomon, the main hall, the pagoda and Asakusa Shrine. Each track stops at the end, so tap “Next” when you reach the next spot.

Sources

• Senso-ji (official, English)
• MLIT multilingual explanation: Kaminarimon (Japanese/English)
• MLIT multilingual explanation: Asakusa
• Panasonic: 1960, the Kaminarimon gate
• Panasonic Channel: the new lantern (2020)
• GO TOKYO: Kaminarimon
• Asakusa Nakamise: history
• Yamagata Prefecture: the giant sandals (Japanese)
• GLTJP: Senso-ji (checked by the temple)
• MATCHA: Senso-ji
• Liberty Times: ceiling painting (2023)
• LIVE JAPAN: five-story pagoda
• GLTJP: Asakusa Shrine

This page in Japanese