New Year’s Day in Asakusa 2026 #2 Avoiding Kaminarimon — and What I Found Instead

On New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026, I visited Asakusa again.
This article is part of a series documenting what I saw, felt, and noticed while walking through Asakusa during the New Year period.

Rather than focusing only on famous landmarks, this series records small moments, side streets, and the atmosphere that can only be experienced on-site.

Choosing the Shortcut Instead of Kaminarimon

I hesitated for a moment about entering through Kaminarimon.
But imagining the massive crowd there, I decided to take my usual shortcut toward the main hall instead.

Normally, this route is calm and easy to walk.
But today, it was more crowded than I had ever seen it.

Still, it wasn’t the kind of congestion where you can’t move at all.
People were walking steadily.
Crowded, yes—but manageable.

It felt like a delicate balance between chaos and control.

An Overflow of Trash Beside a Monjayaki Shop

Along the shortcut, I noticed a large pile of trash overflowing next to a Tsukishima monjayaki restaurant.

Perhaps because it was the year-end holiday season,
there were fewer places to dispose of trash,
and this spot had become an unintended dumping ground.

What stood out was that not all of the trash seemed to come from the restaurant itself.
There was a cup with leftover tapioca at the bottom.

As I took a photo to document the scene,
a couple nearby casually threw away a clear plastic container—
probably from an ichigo daifuku they had just eaten.

The Reality Behind the Crowd

Soon after, a staff member from the monjayaki shop stepped outside.
They glanced briefly at the pile of trash,
walked past it, and went back inside without saying a word.

They were probably too busy to deal with it.
Too busy, too short-staffed.

In that moment, the phrase “labor shortage” stopped feeling abstract.
It felt very real.

A Sudden Dead End Before Nakamise

Just as I was about to reach Nakamise Street,
I saw a sign that stopped me in my tracks.

“No passage beyond this point.”

The shortcut was closed.
To reach the main hall, I would have to go back and enter through Kaminarimon after all.

That was the moment I started to regret coming—just a little.

Because if Kaminarimon was the only way,
then I already knew what was waiting for me there.

A crowd.
An overwhelming one.

New Year’s Day in Asakusa 2026 #1 Tobu Asakusa Station Before Entering the Crowd

New Year’s Day in Asakusa 2026 #3

New Year’s Day Motuni in Asakusa: The Ultimate Winter Comfort Food

Asakusa Ningyoyaki: Watching Fresh Ningyoyaki Being Made on Nakamise Street

Two Strollers I Noticed in Asakusa

Takoyaki Stalls at Senso-ji: What Asakusa Looks Like at the End of the Year

A Quiet Moment After the Event at Asakusa Shrine