By day it’s a bustling tourist centre of sightseeing and
shopping, but when the sun goes down and the bulk of the tourists take their
weary feet elsewhere, the shops on Nakamise Dori close their shutters for the night and a very different looking Asakusa comes
into view.
After dark, the shutters of the Asakusa shops are an
attraction unto themselves – covered in brightly painted murals that are the
work of local artists from the Tokyo National Uiversity of Fine Arts and Music,
the Asakusa Emaki (Asakusa Scrolls) on
the 89 shop fronts along Nakamise Dori depict traditional and seasonal events
connected to Nakamise and Senso-ji temple.
For me, the real treat is in the laneways that run off the
Nakamise Dori, where some of the most colourful and interesting murals can be
found – many of them painted by local artist Katori Senko whose brilliant work
depicts scenes from popular Kabuki plays. I ran into Katori Senko one morning
while he was working on his latest mural and could have happily watched him
paint for hours. His artwork is an Asakusa institution, the memory of which
will be long lasting from this trip to Japan.
Between sunset and 11pm, the artwork around the Nakamise
Dori is lit up for viewing, or you can check it out before the shops open
around 10am. Either way, the art
around Asakusa is well worth an after-hours visit.
Photos
