Irokawa

Asakusa & Sumida River


This tiny place has a real old Edo flavour and is an unpretentious unagi (eel) restaurant. The menu is simple: a ‘small’ gets you two slices of charcoal-grilled eel over rice, a ‘large’ gets you three. The chef grills everything right behind the counter and they close when they sell out. Look for the light-green building with plants out the front.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Asakusa & Sumida River attractions

1. Kaminari-mon

0.15 MILES

The Sensō-ji temple precinct begins at this majestic gate, from which hangs an enormous chōchin (lantern); look under this to see a beautiful carved…

2. Azuma-bashi

0.21 MILES

Originally built in 1774, this bridge was once the point of departure for boat trips to the Yoshiwara pleasure district, north of Asakusa.

3. Taiko Drum Museum

0.26 MILES

There are hundreds of drums from around the world here, including several traditional Japanese taiko. The best part is that you can actually play most of…

4. Asahi Super Dry Hall

0.27 MILES

This jet-black, inverted obelisk, part of Asahi Beer's headquarters, was designed by Philippe Starck and completed in 1989; atop it sits a 'golden flame'…

5. Asakusa

0.29 MILES

Worth searching out is this quirky 40-sq-metre exhibition space in an unmarked old house, hiding down a narrow alley. It's run by contemporary art curator…

6. Hōzō-mon

0.34 MILES

At the end of Sensō-ji's Nakamise-dōri, this gate is flanked by two fierce guardian deities. On the gate’s back side are a pair of 2500kg, 4.5m-tall…

7. Five-Storey Pagoda

0.34 MILES

On the grounds of Sensō-ji, this 53m-high, five-storey pagoda is a 1973 reconstruction of a pagoda built by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1648. The current…

8. Higashi Hongan-ji

0.37 MILES

This large temple offers peace and quiet inside the main hall. The temple was founded in the 17th century; the current building is a reconstruction from…