Sugamo Jizo-dori

This lively shopping street in northern Tokyo is affectionately known as the old ladies' Harajuku, a place where the city's elderly come to shop, socialize, and worship in a slower, friendlier atmosphere than the youth-oriented districts. At its heart stands a temple whose bathing statue of a healing bodhisattva draws long lines of visitors who wash and polish the figure in hopes of curing their ailments. Shops selling traditional sweets, red undergarments believed to bring good health, and everyday goods line the arcade.