Yanaka Ginza Yūyake Dandan — Attraction in Tokyo

Yanaka is one of the few districts in Tokyo where the atmosphere of the old city still lingers. Unlike the neon bustle of Shinjuku or Shibuya, here you’ll find quiet backstreets, wooden houses, little temples, and shops that survived both the Great Kanto Earthquake and WWII bombings.

A walking route through Yanaka usually starts near Nippori Station and winds through Yanaka Ginza shopping street, Yanaka Cemetery, and the many small temples scattered around. It’s compact, and most highlights can be covered comfortably on foot.

• Distance: about 2–3 km depending on detours • Time: a relaxed 2–3 hours is perfect, giving you time for photos, coffee/tea breaks, and browsing shops • Vibe: nostalgic, local, unhurried — perfect for stepping away from Tokyo’s fast pace. I even had time to take the local bus! Great...

The famous steps that lead into Yanaka Ginza, a very cute and relatively short shopping street north of Tokyo. Plenty of eateries and cute stores for souvenir shopping. The street is known for cats as there are several cat statues to look for. If you come early around 10am, it's not so crowded but most of the shops are not open till 11am. They are also known for stray cats but I did not...

Interesting little block of shops that we checked out when the Yamanote line went down. The tea shop is pretty neat if you're into that sort of thing. There's a bunch of street food items available at a reasonable price too. Not worth going out of your way for but worth checking out if you're...