Shitamachi means the old low town, the Tokyo of wooden houses, small shops and neighbours who still say good morning. The Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi area (locals call it "Yanesen") survived the earthquake and the war better than most, and it's still lived-in, not a theme park. Here's a relaxed route you can walk in about three hours.
Budget¥0–1,500 (snacks)
TimeAbout 3 hours, 3 km
Best forA slow Saturday afternoon
StartNippori Sta. West Exit
Step 1: Yanaka Cemetery
1 Yanaka Cemetery
It sounds gloomy, but it's one of Tokyo's loveliest walks: a long, tree-lined central avenue, mossy stones and resident cats. Walk it quietly; people come here to visit family.
Step 2: Art in an old bathhouse
2 SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
A 200-year-old public bathhouse turned into a serious contemporary art gallery, with the original roof and chimney. Shows change every couple of months. Check what's on before you go.
Step 3: Sunset steps and Yanaka Ginza
3 Yuyake Dandan and Yanaka Ginza
The "sunset steps" look down onto Yanaka Ginza, a short, old-style shopping street. Snack your way down: croquettes and menchi-katsu from the butcher, rice crackers, taiyaki. Eat at the shop or a bench, not while walking through the crowd.
Step 4: The snake road
4 Hebi-michi (Snake Road)
A narrow lane that wriggles like a snake because it follows a river that was covered over long ago. Small houses, potted plants and tiny shops. Walk south toward Nezu.
Step 5: Nezu Shrine
5 Nezu Shrine
One of Tokyo's oldest shrines, with lacquered buildings and a tunnel of small red torii gates on the hillside. In April the slope fills with thousands of azaleas, but it's peaceful year-round.
Make the walk work
- Go Thursday to Saturday afternoon. Many small shops close Mondays, and the gallery closes Sundays and Mondays.
- Bring coins. Old-style shops are often cash only.
- Respect the homes. These are residential streets. Don't photograph inside windows or block doorways.
- Finish with a bath: sento are scattered across the area. See our sento guide.
Words that work
- これ、一つください (kore, hitotsu kudasai) — One of these, please.
- ここで食べてもいいですか？ (koko de tabete mo ii desu ka?) — Can I eat it here?
- 根津神社はどちらですか？ (nezu jinja wa dochira desu ka?) — Which way to Nezu Shrine?
Yanaka is the Tokyo my grandparents would recognise: laundry on balconies, a bell from the temple, a cat that owns the corner. Walk it slowly. The point isn't to see everything; it's to feel how people have lived here for a hundred years.
— John Nanjo
Keep reading
- Tokyo's Quiet Side: 6 Spots With Fewer Tourists
- Koenji in a Day: A Local's Walk
- All resident guides: Living in Japan · Local Experiences
Sources: Tokyo Art Beat – SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Bunkyo City – Nezu Shrine
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