For three days from the 17th to 19th of December every year, the Hagoita (battledore) Fair and the “Gasa” fair open on the temple grounds of Sensoji Temple filling the air of Asakusa with the yearend-unique, busy yet cheerful atmosphere. “Gasa” Fair originally started out as a fair selling ornaments for New Year’s Celebration, and because a custom emerged during the Edo Period to give battledore to newborn girls wishing their healthy growth on New Year’s Day, the “hagoita” fair expanded into a fair which sells about 50,000 hagoita (battledore) today. The ones sold at this fair are commonly called "oshie-hagoita" and are decorations as well as a charm for girls, and are separate from the ones used for actual sports. In addition to the authentic patterns of “Fujimusume” and “Sukeroku” there are also battledores of characters that became popular dueing the year.

[Access] Sensoji Temple / 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
5-min-walk from Asakusa Station: Tokyo Metro Ginza Line last stop / Toei Asakusa Line / Tobu Isesaki Line

More photos on Asakusa: Yabusame (horseback archery)  Hohzuki-Ichi (lantern plants fair)
Shopping in Asakusa: http://www.jmode.com/japanguide/kanto_e_s1.html#asakusa_ueno