Tokyo: Nakamise Shopping Street
Both sides of the 250 metre street from the Kaminari-Mon Gate to the entrance to the Sensoji Temple are lined with over 90 shops some dating from the Edo era when the Temple was built. The shops are a mix of traditional crafts, food outlets and tourist souvenirs, which, on the whole, are high quality. Nakamise is one of the oldest shopping centers in Japan. Since Shogun Tokugawa (Ieyasu) established Edo Shogunate, the population in Edo (the old capital city, now called Tokyo) grew as well as visitors to Sensoji Temple. In 1688 - 1735, those neighbours who performed receiving and serving visitors in the Sensoji Temple were given special right to open their shops in the approach to the temple. This was said to be the beginning of Nakamise. For more information on the history of Nakamise CLICK HERE ------------------------------------------------...