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The temple is approached via Nakamise-dôri (仲見世通), a long street today lined with market stalls selling pseudo-traditional tourist goods such as folding fans, yukata, and costume geisha wigs, along with traditional sweets such as [[manju]], and other non-traditional merchandise. The market extends on both sides to other streets running parallel to Nakamise-dôri. At the entrance to Nakamise-dôri (at the opposite end from the temple's main worship hall) is the famous Kaminarimon (雷門, "Thunder Gate"). The red gate with its large paper lantern is an extremely common sight in guidebooks, tourist pamphlets and the like; the lantern is red, and inscribed with "Kaminari mon" on the front, and "Fûraijinmon" (lit. "Wind and Thunder Gods Gate") on the reverse. The gate is said to date to [[942]], when it was first built by [[Taira no Kinmasa]], and was originally located elsewhere, but was relocated to its current location in [[1635]] and rebuilt and expanded in [[1649]] by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. It has been destroyed time and again, as have most of the city's sights, and the current reconstructed version of the gate dates to 1960. The gate is more formally known as Fûraijin-mon ("Gate of the Wind and Thunder Gods"); installed inside the gate are statues of Raijin and Fûjin (Gods of Thunder and Wind) on the front, and Tenryû and Kinryû on the reverse.

The temple is approached via Nakamise-dôri (仲見世通), a long street today lined with market stalls selling pseudo-traditional tourist goods such as folding fans, yukata, and costume geisha wigs, along with traditional sweets such as [[manju]], and other non-traditional merchandise. The market extends on both sides to other streets running parallel to Nakamise-dôri. At the entrance to Nakamise-dôri (at the opposite end from the temple's main worship hall) is the famous Kaminarimon (雷門, "Thunder Gate"). The red gate with its large paper lantern is an extremely common sight in guidebooks, tourist pamphlets and the like; the lantern is red, and inscribed with "Kaminari mon" on the front, and "Fûraijinmon" (lit. "Wind and Thunder Gods Gate") on the reverse. The gate is said to date to [[942]], when it was first built by [[Taira no Kinmasa]], and was originally located elsewhere, but was relocated to its current location in [[1635]] and rebuilt and expanded in [[1649]] by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. It has been destroyed time and again, as have most of the city's sights, and the current reconstructed version of the gate dates to 1960. The gate is more formally known as Fûraijin-mon ("Gate of the Wind and Thunder Gods"); installed inside the gate are statues of Raijin and Fûjin (Gods of Thunder and Wind) on the front, and Tenryû and Kinryû on the reverse.

Beyond the Kaminarimon is a large market area extending to the left and right of the central pedestrian path to the temple, known as Nakamise-dôri. This street leads directly to the second of the two major gates, the Hôzômon ("Treasure Store Gate"), which in turn opens up onto the chief central plaza of the temple, and the central worship hall. This plaza is flanked by two small buildings where ''[[omikuji]]'', ''[[omamori]]'', and the like are sold; a large incense burner sits in the middle of the plaza, issuing purifying smoke. Beyond this plaza is the main worship hall (''hondô''), where, supposedly, the Kannon statue retrieved so many centuries ago is still enshrined.

Beyond the Kaminarimon is a large market area extending to the left and right of the central pedestrian path to the temple, known as Nakamise-dôri. This street leads directly to the second of the two major gates, the Hôzômon ("Treasure Store Gate"), which in turn opens up onto the chief central plaza of the temple, and the central worship hall. This plaza is flanked by two small buildings where ''[[omikuji]]'', ''[[omamori]]'', and the like are sold; a large [[incense]] burner sits in the middle of the plaza, issuing purifying smoke. Beyond this plaza is the main worship hall (''hondô''), where, supposedly, the Kannon statue retrieved so many centuries ago is still enshrined.

A five-story pagoda stands to the left of the main worship hall; the pagoda, along with the main hall, were named [[National Treasures]] in [[1907]], but were destroyed in 1945 and are no longer designated as such in their postwar reconstructed forms.<ref>Gallery label, "Oni-gawara of the Main Ridge Tile of Sensoji Kannon Temple," Edo-Tokyo Museum.</ref>

A five-story pagoda stands to the left of the main worship hall; the pagoda, along with the main hall, were named [[National Treasures]] in [[1907]], but were destroyed in 1945 and are no longer designated as such in their postwar reconstructed forms.<ref>Gallery label, "Oni-gawara of the Main Ridge Tile of Sensoji Kannon Temple," Edo-Tokyo Museum.</ref>