Tsukuba Express (TX) Asakusa Station Orientation

TX Asakusa Station is an underground station on the Tsukuba Express Line which is located beneath Kokusai-dori Avenue on the west side of Asakusa. The Tsukuba Express Line provides a fast link to Akihabara, Tokyo’s famous center of cheap electronics stores and “otaku” culture. Trains between Asakusa and Akihabara take just 4 minutes and cost 210 yen. At the opposite end of the line, Tsukuba Science City with its parks, museums, and planetarium is 40 minutes away for a fare of 1,140.

Location

TX Asakusa Station is not directly connected to any of the other stations in Asakusa. Although there are three other stations which are also called “Asakusa Station”, these are operated separately by the Tobu, Toei, and Tokyo Metro networks. While TX Asakusa Station is located on the west side of Asakusa, the Tobu, Toei and Tokyo Metro Asakusa stations are all located on the east side. The distance between TX Asakusa Station and the other Asakusa stations is about 600 meters or an 8 minute walk. The closest station to TX Asakusa Station is actually Tawaramachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line which is a 5 minute walk to the south. There are no connecting underground passageways between TX Asakusa Station and the other stations in Asakusa.

The location of TX Asakusa Station on the west side of Asakusa makes it particularly convenient for the Kappabashi Dougu-gai kitchenware shopping street which is just a 5 minute walk to the west, the Asakusa Rox shopping complex which is 2 minutes to the south, and Hanayashiki Amusement Park which is a 4 minute walk to the east. The main buildings of Sensoji Temple are 5 minutes away, and the Kaminarimon Gate is 7 minutes away. It is also possible to walk from TX Asakusa Station to JR Ueno Station in 20 minutes. Here is a map showing the location of TX Asakusa Station.

The A1 & A2 Entrances

TX Asakusa Station has two main entrances on the east and west side of Kokusai-dori Avenue. The A1 entrance is located on the east side and the A2 entrance is on the west side. There are stairs and escalators at both entrances, however, the escalators only go up. Passengers with heavy luggage or wheelchairs should use the elevator at the A1 entrance.

Other entrances to TX Asakusa Station are located to the north and south of the A1 and A2 entrances, but these other entrances only have stairs.

Station Layout

TX Asakusa Station is very easy to navigate as it has only one ticket gate, with one office, one set of ticket machines, and two platforms.

Ticket machines are located beside the ticket gates.

There is a fare table above the ticket machines which show the fares for all stations.

The ticket machines have touch screen controls and are easy to use. Press the “international” button for language options in English, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish.

Once through the ticket gates, the platforms can be accessed by elevator, escalator, or stairs.

Platforms

TX Asakusa Station has just two platforms on the B4 level. Both platforms serve trains on the Tsukuba Express Line. There are automatic platform screen doors for passengers’ safety.

Trains arriving at Platform 1 are bound for Tsukuba.

Trains arriving at Platform 2 are bound for Akihabara.

Exits

The A1 Exit on the east side of Kokusai-dori Avenue is convenient for Asakusa Rox, Hoppy Street, Hotel Keihan Asakusa, Hanayashiki Amusement Park, Sensoji Temple, and the Kaminarimon Gate.

The A2 Exit on the west side of Kokusai-dori Avenue is convenient for Asakusa View Hotel, Kappabashi Dougu-gai, the Taikokan Drum Museum, and Tawaramachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

Both the A1 and A2 exits have escalators going up to ground level, and the A1 exit also has an elevator. Although there are other exits to the north and south of the A1 and A2 exits, including one directly outside the Asakusa View Hotel, these other exits only have stairs.

Bus Services

There are several useful bus services running along Kokusai-dori Avenue that have stops very near the exits of TX Asakusa Station.

• There is a bus stop for the Skytree Shuttle service directly outside the A2 exit.
• The Megurin tourist bus on the East-West route makes a stop just south of the A1 exit.
• There are regular Toei bus stops on both sides of Kokusai-dori not far from either exit.
• Limousine buses for both Narita Airport and Haneda Airport can be boarded from outside the nearby Asakusa View Hotel.
• For more details on bus services from this location see our article: Tourist and City Bus Services in Asakusa.

Lockers at TX Asakusa Station

You can find some coin lockers on the B1 basement level close by the A1 entrance. For more details about baggage storage at this and the other Asakusa stations, please see our article: Lockers & Baggage Storage in Asakusa.

Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.