Tokyo Asakusa: Senso-ji Walk, Matcha Making & Monjayaki Lunch

4.93

(241 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You’ve never tried monjayaki?” our guide grinned, already leading us past the Thunder Gate where the lantern swayed in the muggy Tokyo air. Nakamise Street was just waking up, shopkeepers arranging manju in neat rows, that sweet rice smell mixing with incense from Senso-ji Temple. I fumbled a coin at the purification fountain—my hands were sticky from some kind of sesame snack. The guide laughed, showed me how to waft the smoke over my head for good luck. I didn’t expect to feel so… included, you know?

Inside Senso-ji, it was quieter than I thought it’d be. Locals moved through their rituals without fuss—clapping, bowing, tying fortunes to racks. Our group tried fortune slips too; mine said “small blessing” and I kept it in my pocket all day. The matcha making part was tucked away behind a sliding door off a side street. Everything slowed down there—the clack of bamboo whisks, faint grassy scent rising from the bowls. My first sip was bitter but somehow comforting. I still think about that moment when sunlight hit the tatami mat just right.

Lunch was monjayaki on Hoppy Street—a place I’d never have found solo. It’s messy food (and yeah, maybe not photogenic), but our guide showed us how to scrape up the crispy bits with tiny spatulas. Everyone got involved; someone spilled cabbage everywhere and we all cracked up. There was cold beer if you wanted it, or tea if you didn’t. Walking back out into Asakusa’s side alleys felt different after sharing food like that—like we’d actually been let in on something local instead of just passing through.