Yanaka is one of those rare pockets of Tokyo that seems to have been frozen in time, spared by the Kanto earthquake of 1923 and the firebombs of World War II. It’s a quiet, lived-in kind of place—narrow alleys, wooden houses, and the slow drift of history settling into temples and storefronts. It’s Tokyo, but not the fast-paced, neon-lit version—this is a slower, softer kind of city.
Yanaka Cemetery, where over 7,000 tombstones hold the names of artists, writers, and public figures now at rest.
Tennoji is Yanaka’s oldest temple, overlooking the cemetery
Kayaba Bakery, a beautifully restored cluster of 1938 homes circling a tiny courtyard
Himalayan cedar, planted about 90 years ago by the grandfather of the current owner of the adjacent bakery. It is a magnificent and powerful tree. In 2012, plans to cut it down were halted, leading to its recognition as one of Japan's 100 historical natural features.
Scai The Bathhouse, a contemporary art gallery housed in an old sentō
Yanaka Ginza, a nostalgic pedestrian street packed with shops selling everything from handcrafted goods to cat-themed trinkets.
If you are here during the first 10 days of the year, you can do the shichifukujin-meguri (Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage). It winds through seven temples, each home to a deity of good fortune, and you can collect stamps on a special paper as you receive blessings for the new year. The route—about five kilometers—takes three to four hours, offering a mix of quiet shrines, narrow lanes, and glimpses of a city that still remembers its past.