Asakusa

As the unofficial capital of Tokyo’s shitamachi (old town), Asakusa is at once austere and a bit rough-and-tumble. In addition to its famed Senso-ji temple (you can’t miss its gargantuan gate festooned with iconic paper lanterns), Asakusa is a great place for souvenir shopping. While the central Nakamise shopping street is where most go to for traditional Japanese items, wandering the side streets around Senso-ji reveals a plethora of local shops offering exquisite hand-crafted goods, from paper fans to pottery.