Taishakuten Sando Shopping Street
This several-hundred-meter shopping street between Shibamata Station and Taishakuten Temple has retained an old-Tokyo vibe, its wooden buildings having escaped the heavy bombing that flattened much of Tokyo at the end of World War II and the subsequent post-war redevelopment. Although the street developed as the approach to Taishakuten, its connection to the temple takes a back seat for most visits to the street snacks sold here. The Sando is lined with small, family-run stores selling traditional snacks, such as savory senbei (rice crackers), dorayaki (sweet pancakes), kuzu-mochi (sticky rice cakes), and the Shibamata classic that is kusa-dango (sticky rice dumplings on skewers that appear a deep green because they include mugwort in the mix). For the latter, stop by Monzen Toraya.