View of Yanaka Ginza, Ueno, Yanesen & Komagome.

©Rebecca Milner/Lonely Planet

Yanaka Ginza

Ueno & Yanesen


Yanaka Ginza is pure, vintage mid-20th-century Tokyo, a pedestrian street lined with butcher shops, vegetable vendors and the like. Most Tokyo neighbourhoods once had stretches like these (until supermarkets took over). It's popular with Tokyoites from all over the city, who come to soak up the nostalgic atmosphere, plus the locals who shop here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ueno & Yanesen attractions

1. Yūyake Dandan

0.05 MILES

Literally the ‘Sunset Stairs’, these stone steps lead down to the classic mid-20th-century shopping street Yanaka Ginza. They are so called because you…

2. Asakura Museum of Sculpture, Taitō

0.12 MILES

Sculptor Asakura Fumio (artist name Chōso; 1883–1964) built his home studio in the early 20th century and it's very much representative of architecture of…

3. Kannon-ji

0.17 MILES

This Yanaka temple is known for its part in the story of the 47 ronin (masterless samurai). It was here that they plotted to avenge their master (the…

4. Chōan-ji

0.19 MILES

This small, peaceful temple, one of many scattered around Yanaka, houses one of the seven gods of good fortune, Juro-jin.

5. Sudo-kōen

0.24 MILES

Looking like something straight from a woodblock print, this gorgeous pocket park is worth the stroll from the Sendagi end of Yanaka to view its brilliant…

6. Tennō-ji

0.27 MILES

This Nichiren-sect temple, on the edge of Yanaka-reien, is noteworthy for its minimalist, modern gate and its centuries-old big bronze Buddha statue.

7. Yanaka-reien

0.34 MILES

One of Tokyo’s largest graveyards, Yanaka-reien is the final resting place of more than 7000 souls, many of whom were quite well known in their day. It’s…

8. Daimyo Clock Museum

0.43 MILES

Before the 1860s, only samurai lords could see these fascinating clocks, called wadokei, that tell time according to variable hours named after animals of…