Tokyo · Yotsuya
Suga Shrine Stairs
Suga Shrine is the neighborhood shrine of Yotsuya, which according to the shrine itself protects the 18 old districts of the area. It began as an Inari shrine that stood in Akasaka and was moved here in 1634, when the original site was taken for digging the outer moat of Edo Castle. In 1643 the god Susanoo was added to it, and in the Edo period it was called the Tenno shrine of Yotsuya. It was given the name Suga in 1868, taken from the words the myth puts in Susanoo's mouth when he arrived in Izumo: 'my heart has become suga here', that is, refreshed.
The bombing of 24 May 1945 burned all the buildings except the main hall, the inner sanctuary and the small shrines in the courtyard, and the shrine was rebuilt after the war. Its treasure is a series of paintings of the 36 poets (Sanjurokkasen-e) from 1836 by the painter Ooka Unpo, which was kept in a vault during the war. Shinjuku ward declared it a cultural property in 1986. The original is inside the hall, and outside it there are boards with copies and an explanation.
The stairs with the red railing lead down from the shrine to the street below. They are known as the place the final scene of Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) by Makoto Shinkai from 2016 is based on, where Taki and Mitsuha pass each other, and they also appeared on the film's flyer. You see the view from the film when you climb all the way to the top and turn around. The area around is a quiet residential neighborhood, not a tourist site.
Good to know
- The stairs are an everyday passage for residents. Take photos from the side, do not block the way and do not make noise. According to an article from November 2022, the shrine hung a sign on the stairs asking visitors to be considerate.
- Cars cannot pass the stairs: the two streets that lead to them from below end at them. A taxi can reach the shrine from above, via the Samoncho intersection on Gaien-Higashi Street.
- You can arrive from one station and continue from the other: Yotsuya-sanchome on one side, and Yotsuya Station on the other, with the JR Chuo and Sobu lines and the Marunouchi and Namboku metro lines.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Suga Shrine Stairs.
- HereSuga Shrine Stairs
- ~6 min
Taiyaki Wakaba Food
A taiyaki stand (a fish-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste) on Shinjuku Street, on the way to Yotsuya Station. You can also eat inside. Not kosher.
- ~7 min
Fire Museum (Tokyo Fire Department) More to see
The museum of the Tokyo Fire Department, next to Exit 2 of Yotsuya-sanchome Station: scrolls and woodblock prints from the Edo period, old fire engines from the Taisho period and firefighting equipment of today. Entry is free.
- ~8 min
Shinjuku Historical Museum More to see
The ward's museum, from prehistoric times to the modern city, including the Edo-period post town of Naito-Shinjuku. Permanent exhibition ¥300. Until 23 November 2026 a special exhibition on the painter Matsumoto Shunsuke is on show (¥300, combined ticket ¥500).
- ~9 min
Tonkatsu Suzushin Food
A tonkatsu restaurant from 1958 in Arakicho, with a counter of ten seats. The known dish is kake-katsudon, a pork cutlet with egg and onion poured over it. At lunch it is worth arriving early. Not kosher.
- ~9 min
Arakicho Street
A former geisha district in a bowl-shaped valley, today alleys of small restaurants and bars. At the bottom of the valley is the Mochi no Ike pond, where according to legend Tokugawa Ieyasu washed his whip after a falconry hunt. The alleys light up in the evening.
- ~10 min
Shinanomachi Station footbridge More to see
The bridge to the left of the exit from JR Shinanomachi Station, which appears several times in Your Name (Kimi no Na wa). In the background you can see the Docomo Tower in Yoyogi.
- ~13 min
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden More to see
A national garden of 58 hectares in the heart of Shinjuku, with three styles: Japanese, English and French.