Shopping Street · Sugamo

Sugamo Jizo-dori Shopping Street 巣鴨地蔵通り商店街

The "Harajuku for grannies": an 800-metre old Nakasendo street of red underwear shops, salt daifuku and herbal remedies leading to the Togenuki Jizo temple, where people wash statues to heal aches.

About

Jizo-dori follows the old Nakasendo highway out of Sugamo Station, and on temple days it is packed with Tokyo's pensioners, who have made it their own. About 200 shops sell exactly what they want: thermal underwear (in lucky red, for health), comfortable shoes, rice crackers, salt daifuku, pickles and Chinese herbal medicine. Halfway along is Koganji, home of Togenuki Jizo, the "thorn-removing" Jizo said to heal illnesses; worshippers queue to scrub the small Arai Kannon statue with a cloth on the part of the body that hurts. On the 4th, 14th and 24th of every month, the ennichi fair lines the street with stalls. It is one of the most cheerful, unpretentious places in the city, and one of the most authentically local.

Highlights

• About 200 shops along the old Nakasendo highway
• Koganji's Togenuki Jizo and the Arai Kannon washing ritual
• Red underwear shops, red is believed to bring health and luck
• Shio-daifuku (salted bean mochi), a Sugamo speciality
• Ennichi temple fairs on the 4th, 14th and 24th of each month

Tips

• Come on a 4, 14 or 24 day for the ennichi fair with stalls the full length of the street.
• At Arai Kannon, buy a cloth (or bring your own) and gently wash the statue where you hurt.
• Shops open and close early, most are done by about 17:00.
• Continue to the end to reach Koshinzuka tram stop on the Tokyo Sakura Tram.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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