Adventures in Asakasa

For their first day in Tokyo we took them on a wild adventure around town. First stop... Asakasa! Snacks, shopping, a temple and more snacks... what's not to love about a Sunday spent in Asakasa?


We got lucky and ran into some kids celebrating Shichi-Go-San a week early. Shichi-Go-San or 7-5-3 Day celebrates the milestones of childhood in Japan. Historically, after children reached the age of three, it was thought that they would probably be healthy enough to reach adult hood. It is also the age at which they would have their hair cut for the first time.

At the age of 5 boys turn into young men and start wearing Kimonos or Hakamas for the first time. Recently it is fashionable to see these little boys in suits with short pants and bow ties.

At the age of 7 a girl becomes a young woman and wear kimono and a fancy hairstyle for the first time. According to my girl students, all they remember about this day was how heavy their wig was.

Shichi-Go-San is usually celebrated on November 15th, but with busy lives to live... you can see families celebrating during the weeks surrounding this holiday.