Asakusa Station 浅草駅
- Published on : 29/06/2014
- by : Japan Experience
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Asakusa Station, Matsuya Ekimise Building, Tobu Skytree Line, Tokyo
Access to the traditional district in Tokyo
Asakusa Station: read a guide to the four Asakusa Stations in Taito-ku, Tokyo, each serving a different railway line.
The historic and atmospheric Asakusa district is in Taitō ward in the north of central Tokyo. It is most famous as the home of the popular Sensō-ji Temple.
Asakusa is accessed by four different train lines: the Ginza Subway Line, Asakusa Subway Line, Tobu Skytree Line, and Tsukuba Express Line.
Each train line has its own "Asakusa" station: a total of four, making for potential confusion, especially since only three of them are connected to each other by underground pedestrian passages. The following explanation takes the famous Kaminarimon Gate of Sensō-ji Temple as Asakusa's center point.
Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line
The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line's Asakusa Subway Station is the most central, its Exit 1 being only 60 meters from Kaminarimon. This "Asakusa" station is located on the intersection of Edo-dōri and Kototoi-dōri.
This is the terminal station of the Ginza Subway Line. Its station code is G19
For some history, the Asakusa Station on the Ginza subway line was the starting station of what was Japan's first subway line, linking Ueno Station to Asakusa, opening in 1927. The station's ticket wicket reflects this history in its faux antique decor, and has art deco posters and a newspaper from December 30th 1927 displayed proclaiming the opening of the line.
Asakusa Station on the Tobu Skytree Line
The Tobu Skytree Line's Asakusa Station is the most easily identifiable, as it is on the second floor of the big classic 7-floor Matsuya Ekimise department store. The Tobu Line station is right beside the Ginza Line station, just north of it, and the Ginza Line station's Exits 7 and 8 connect to it.
The Tobu Skytree Line is named after the most famous feature on the line, the Tokyo Skytree, and goes north all the way to Tobu Nikko Station in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture. Tobu Skytree Line Asakusa Station is the most convenient railway station for visitors to Tokyo to begin their journey to see the Tokyo Skytree, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Nikko and onward to Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls as well as the Kirifuri Highland and Kawaji Onsen area.
This is the terminal station of the Tobu Skytree Line.
Asakusa Station on the Asakusa Line
The Asakusa Line's Asakusa Subway Station is two blocks south of the Ginza Line station, on the intersection of Edo-dori and Asakusa-dori, but connects to the Ginza Line station without having to exit above ground.
The station south of it is Kuramae, the station east of it is Honjo-Azumabashi.
The above three Ginza Line, Tobu Line and Asakusa Line stations are all interconnected underground.
Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express Line
The Tsukuba Express Line's Asakusa station is the least central, located 500 meters from Kaminarimon, but on the opposite (i.e., western) side of Asakusa from the other three stations. The Tsukuba Express Line Asakusa station connects Asakusa to Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture
The station south-west of it is Shin-Okachimachi, the station north of it is Minami-Senju.
The Asakusa Station area retains its shitamachi (old city) feel and is a good place for shopping for traditional Japanese arts and crafts. The Ekimise shopping mall is housed in the same building as Asakusa Station on the Tobu Skytree Line.
Barrier-Free
The Tobu Skytree Line station has ramps and elevators (Main Entrance) for full barrier-free access, as well as wheelchair-friendly toilets.
The Ginza Line Asakusa Station has an elevator at street level at Exit 1 to the ticket wickets.The platforms are on the same level as the ticket wickets. There are wheelchair-accessible toilets
The Asakusa Line station has a street-level elevator at Exit A2-b, and has wheelchair-friendly toilets.
The Tsukuba Express Line station has elevators for full barrier-free access (Exit A1), as well as wheelchair-accessible toilets.
Asakusa Station, Ginza Line, Tokyo Subway
