TOKYO TRAVEL | YANAKA DISTRICT
Apart from Tokyo’s famous neon lights at night, late night drinking, bar hopping and mind boggling skyscrapers, the small district of Yanaka still has a shitamchi vibe - an old town feel reminiscent of Tokyo’s past decades.
Yanaka is arguably most famous for the Yanaka Ginza shopping street. It’s a shopping street lined up with all sorts of food joints, antique shops and cafes. It also has a cute cat theme to it. It’s a nice stroll where you can eat and drink a long the way and experience old town Japan.
Aside from this shopping street, Yanaka is also famous for its high concentration of temples. You can go temple hopping during the day and straight into bar hopping at night in the middle of Tokyo. Near the temples is another famous attraction of Yanaka - the Yanaka cemetery. This massive cemetery is where the locals lay to rest their loved ones. The tombs are decorated and landscaped and the paths are wide and pretty. The main road of the cemetery is lined up with cherry blossom trees making for a beautiful scenery in the spring time. Tokugawa Yoshinobu - the last shogun of the edo period also lays to rest in this cemetery. If you stroll around a little more, you might find the burial of Saint Nicholas - the first person to introduce the Eastern Orthodox Church to Japan. Yanaka, although quiet still holds many other attractions to stroll through.
If you have some time, you can even participate in a small green tea ceremony or a wagashi (Japanese sweets) making class over at Gallery Okubo. This family owned tea/antiques shop is a nice place to spend the afternoon to try their delicious tea and sweets. You can even book tours of the Yanaka area which includes the tea ceremony in a package.
Tokyo tours: Witness a green tea ceremony in Yanaka