Tokyo · Ueno and Yanaka
Yanaka Ginza
Yanaka was hit relatively lightly by the 1923 earthquake and the 1945 bombings, so old houses, temples and a green cemetery survived here. The shopping street itself grew up on its own around 1945, as a row of shops for the neighborhood's residents. From the late 80s the name 'Yanesen' (Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi) turned the area into a destination for walks, and since then visitors come from all over the city and from abroad.
According to the merchants' association, the street has about 60 shops along only about 170 meters: butchers selling fried snacks to eat by hand, sweets, tea, ceramics and bamboo ware. In 2006 the awnings and signs were unified, and in 2008 carved wooden cats were placed on the shops, because the neighborhood is known for its street cats. In a 2018 survey about 10,000 people passed through on a weekday and about 14,000 on a weekend.
The entrance from the Nippori Station side is via 'Yuyake Dandan', the staircase that got its name in a contest run by the neighborhood magazine, because from it you see the sunset over the street. At the other end the street ends at Yomise-dori, and from there you walk to Sendagi Station.
Good to know
- There is nowhere to sit on the street, so you eat standing next to the stall where you bought the food.
- Most shops close between 18:00 and 19:00, and some are closed on Monday. Early in the morning nothing is open yet.
- You can walk the street in either direction: from Nippori (down the stairs) and on to Sendagi, or the other way round. The first direction is convenient if you continue to Nezu.
- On weekends the street is very crowded. If you want a photo of the stairs without the crowds, come on a weekday.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Yanaka Ginza.
- HereYanaka Ginza
- 1 min
Niku no Suzuki Food
A butcher on the street itself, with a line on weekends. Order the 'genki menchi', a breaded fried beef cutlet that is seasoned in advance and needs no sauce. It sometimes sells out before evening.
- ~2 min
Himitsudo Cafe
Hand-shaved ice with syrup made from real Japanese fruit, no ready-made syrup. In autumn 2026 there is a chestnut dish, and in winter also a hot gratin. It made Tabelog's list of 100 Tokyo sweets shops for 2026.
- ~2 min
Yanaka Matsunoya Shopping
An 'aramono' shop: simple household goods made of natural materials, such as baskets and brushes. A useful souvenir rather than a decoration, near the stairs.
- ~6 min
Asakura Museum of Sculpture More to see
The home and studio of the sculptor Fumio Asakura, with a pond in an inner courtyard and a rooftop garden. You take off your shoes and go in wearing socks. ¥500. In 2026 the facade is being painted, and from 5 to 12 November 2026 the museum is closed.
- ~7 min
Isetatsu Yanaka Shopping
A publisher of chiyogami paper, paper decorated with traditional Japanese patterns, founded in 1864.
- ~15 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
More in Ueno and Yanaka
Appears in: Asakusa, Ueno and Skytree: old Tokyo in one day · Old Tokyo on foot: Senso-ji, Ueno, Yanaka, Nezu and Kanda