Tennōji Temple is marked by a large, seated bronze Buddha statue that sits prominently in the courtyard. Established in twelve seventy-four, this Buddhist site rests on the edge of the historic Yanaka Cemetery in Taito. During the Edo…
Yanaka Nostalgic Alleys
We will wander through one of Tokyo's oldest residential neighborhoods, where historic wooden houses, quiet temple lanes, and classic family shops survived the wartime bombings.
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1. Tennōji Temple
2. Yanaka Cemetery
Yanaka Cemetery is defined by a central, wide pathway lined with cherry trees that form a vibrant pink canopy when they bloom each April. Established in eighteen seventy-two, this sprawling, ten-hectare grounds now holds approximately…
3. Asakura Museum of Sculpture
The Asakura Museum of Sculpture stands out as an imposing three-story structure of black reinforced concrete, a deliberate contrast to the traditional wooden homes of the surrounding Yanaka district. This building was the personal…
4. Yanaka Ginza Yūyake Dandan
Yuyake Dandan, or Sunset Steps, is a stone staircase that connects the Gotenzaka slope to the Yanaka Ginza shopping street. The name, which translates to sunset stairs, originated from a public competition held in nineteen ninety. These…
5. Yanaka Ginza
Yanaka Ginza is a one hundred and seventy-meter-long shopping street in Tokyo that begins at the base of the Yuyake Dandan, a set of thirty-six stone steps. These stairs face west and are often called the Sunset Steps because they offer a…
6. Kikumi Senbei
Kikumi Senbei Sohonten is a long-standing rice cracker shop recognizable by its wooden storefront and the large glass bowls displayed inside. Established in eighteen seventy-five, the shop operates in Sendagi, an area that once hosted…
7. Kannon-ji
Kannon-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Yanaka, Taito, established in sixteen forty-eight. You can recognize this site by the tsuji-bei wall, a long, original boundary wall from the Edo period that lines the temple grounds. This…
8. SCAI The Bathhouse
SCAI The Bathhouse is defined by a traditional tiled roof and a towering brick chimney that rise above the surrounding streetscape in the Yanaka district. Before it became a contemporary art gallery in nineteen ninety-three, this building…
9. Kayaba Coffee
Kayaba Coffee stands out for its weathered, two-story wooden exterior featuring dashi-geta-zukuri eaves, where horizontal wooden beams protrude above the windows. This building, constructed in nineteen sixteen, originally operated as a…