Tokyo · Ueno and Yanaka
Isetatsu Yanaka
Isetatsu was founded in 1864 in Nihonbashi, as a wholesaler of fans and color woodblock prints. In 1870 it moved to the Kanda neighborhood, and the second generation was already selling paper goods to foreign merchants in Yokohama and shipping them to Europe. Today its only shop is here in Yanaka: the Sendagi branch was merged into it in June 2022.
Chiyogami is decorated paper printed by hand with woodblocks on thick Japanese paper, in traditional kimono fabric patterns or in scenes of daily life in the Edo period. You fold origami from it, wrap gifts in it or frame it. Isetatsu is also a 'publisher' in the old Japanese sense: it owns the patterns and prints them itself.
Besides the paper, the shop has items in the same patterns: chiyogami envelopes, tenugui cloths, furoshiki wrapping cloths, drawstring bags and summer fans. There are also 'inu-hariko' dogs made of pasted paper, on the official website from ¥2,750 for a small wall dog up to ¥45,100 for a large one. From early March each year the shop's koi streamer is sold, only in the shop and only one per family.
Good to know
- You cannot choose the patterns in the packs. If you want a specific pattern, ask in the shop about a single sheet.
- Thin sheets crease easily in a suitcase. Keep them flat, inside a book or a folder.
- We could not find on the official website whether the shop offers tax-free shopping, so do not assume it does.
- A cheap souvenir that is light in the suitcase: a small furoshiki cloth, 50 cm, ¥990 in the online shop.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Isetatsu Yanaka.
- HereIsetatsu Yanaka
- ~7 min
Himitsudo Cafe
Hand-shaved ice with syrup made from real Japanese fruit. In autumn 2026 a chestnut dish, and in winter also a hot gratin.
- ~7 min
Yanaka Ginza Street
A shopping street of 170 meters in a neighborhood that was only lightly damaged by the earthquake and the bombings: 60 small shops, menchi k
- ~8 min
Nezu Kamachiku Food
Udon in a brick warehouse from 1910, redesigned by Kengo Kuma, with a garden. From Tuesday to Saturday kama-age udon in a wooden pot, and on Sunday and Monday kake udon in broth.
- ~9 min
Nezu Shrine More to see
A shrine whose present buildings were completed in 1706, with a tunnel of small torii gates on a slope and 3,000 azalea bushes that bloom in
- ~10 min
Yanaka Matsunoya Shopping
An 'aramono' shop: simple household goods made of natural materials, such as baskets and brushes. It goes well with the paper: a useful souvenir.
- ~11 min
Asakura Museum of Sculpture More to see
The home and studio of the sculptor Fumio Asakura, with a courtyard pond and a rooftop garden. You go in wearing socks. Closed from 5 to 12 November 2026.