Yanaka
The corner of Tokyo the war and the developers both missed — wooden houses, a shopping street with a butcher and a tofu shop, and a great many cats.
What Tokyo looked like before
Yanaka came through the 1923 earthquake and the 1945 firebombing largely intact, which is rare, and it was never comprehensively redeveloped afterwards. The result is a district of low wooden houses, temple walls, a working shopping street and a very large cemetery where the last shogun is buried. It is where people come to see the version of Tokyo that the twentieth century mostly erased — not preserved as a heritage site but simply still there, with a butcher, a tofu shop and a sweet shop trading as they always did.
Explore Yanaka on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to look for
A walking district. There is no single sight and that is the point.
🛍 Yanaka Ginza
- A short shopping street of small independent traders
- The steps at the western end — Yuyake Dandan, best at sunset
🪦 Yanaka Cemetery
- Wide cherry-lined avenues; the grave of the last shogun
- Quiet, and not remotely morbid — locals walk through it daily
🐈 The streets
- Temple walls, wooden houses, small galleries in converted homes
- The cats the district is known for
Getting to Yanaka
Two stations, and a short walk from Ueno.
🚇 By train
- Nippori on the JR Yamanote line, west exit
- Sendagi on the Chiyoda line for the far end of Yanaka Ginza
🚶 On foot
- 20 minutes from Ueno Park
- 15 minutes from Nezu Shrine
When to come
A residential district — timing is about shops being open, not crowds.
🕓 Afternoon
- Shops on Yanaka Ginza mostly close by 6pm and some by 5
- Sunset from the Yuyake Dandan steps is the classic moment
📅 Weekday
- Quieter, and the shops are more relaxed
🌸 Spring
- The cemetery avenue is one of Tokyo’s better blossom walks
Visitor intelligence
People live here, and the district is small enough that it shows.
🤫 Etiquette
- Residential streets — keep voices down and do not photograph into homes
🗣 Language
- Very little English; a guided walk adds a lot here
- Shopkeepers are used to visitors and are patient
📷 Photography
- The Yuyake Dandan steps at sunset; temple walls in morning light
- Ask before photographing shopkeepers
💴 Money
- Cash. Many of the small traders take nothing else
Close by
Old north-east Tokyo.
Frequently asked
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