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At first I thought I'd take Elisa and visitors here but honestly, if you go to Kamakura or Kyoto, it makes Asakusa seem more like a tourist trap than anything else.  It's a good place to go if you want to pick up some Japanese knick knacks without traveling for two hours to a temple.

This lantern above is very symbolic of this area.  I came here on the Coming Of Age Day, when Japanese girls turn 20, they dress up in kimonos and go to temples to celebrate.  Below are some pictures.  The huge bows at the back are called Obis and are an important part of the whole outfit.  (Learned that from Memoirs of a Geisha)

I thought the crowd that day was tolerable.  

The smoke from the incense are believed to have healing powers, that's why you see a lot of people waving the smoke to themselves.  Purdey suggested I stick my @ss in the incense, how vulgar...

This area is lined with stalls selling knick knacks and of course my favourite, Japanese sweets and snacks.  Here's a close up of sample stall fares:  Chocolate covered bananas.  Who says Japanese people don't eat in public.