In a narrow side-street near Kita-Sendai station, easy to miss, is a place that calls itself “Sendai's Asakusa”. Having visited Asakusa in Tokyo, I wondered what this seemingly normal street had in common. It wasn't an easy answer to find, but it was an interesting detour.
Late one afternoon, I was walking towards Kita-Sendai station, a route I've walked many times. But for some reason, this time I noticed a narrow street, almost an alley, to one side. Feeling a bit peckish, I wondered if there were any new restaurants to discover, and went exploring.
My first impression of this shopping street was one of alcohol. Izakaya, bars and 'snacks' (small bars with karaoke) are the overwhelming majority of the 40 or so shops. There were also quite a few ramen stores, as well as other food establishments, such as Odorii. During the day it wasn't very busy, but I could imagine that it had a different atmosphere once the sun started going down (or even from about 5 pm, when the restaurants re-open for the evening).
So far, nothing to connect it to Asakusa. In fact, I still didn't even know its name at this point. Half-way down though, was a small shrine, and I looked up to see a sign which included the phrase “Sendai Asakusa”. At first I thought this was referring to just the shrine, which didn't have any obvious connection to its Tokyo namesake. I kept exploring.
Finally, at the opposite end, I found a more obvious sign – bright red, in the shape of a lantern. It still wasn't very explanatory, but I now understood that the whole street was “Sendai's Asakusa”. It definitely had a nice atmosphere, sort of old-fashioned. It was less crowded than Tokyo of course, and sold completely different goods to the vendors beyond Kaminarimon.
In the end, I turned to the Internet. Apparently the street used to consist of lumber dealers, who moved goods via the railway. The railway was damaged twice in two years, and the lumber dealers ended up closing. It was then turned into a shopping street for daily necessities, originally with different name. But, wanting to share the luck of Tokyo's Asakusa, a symbol of rebirth, they decided on the name “Sendai's Asakusa” instead.
Maybe they also want to sell to the 'pilgrims' coming to enjoy Sendai's tourist spots. It's a unique little area, away from the usual tourist traps and busy city center. Why don't you try it one evening?
