Yanaka is one of the best neighbourhoods in Tokyo to visit, to experience traditional Old Town Tokyo. This historic and traditional neighbourhood in Northern Tokyo has largely escaped the fires, earthquakes and WWII air raids that have flattened so much of the rest of the city and has one of the best traditional shopping streets in Tokyo. Yanaka is totally different to central Tokyo neighbourhoods like Shibuya and Shinjuku, and reinforces how many diverse Tokyo is. Yanaka is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Tokyo and is a refreshing break from the crowded city centre.

Yanaka Shrines & Temples in Nishi-Nippori

We started at Nishi-Nippori station and wandered up along the hilly backstreets of Nishi-Nippori, passing countless Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. We stopped at a few, like the Suwa Shrine and the Jokojiyukimidera Temple but our stomachs got the better of us once we reached a main street with cafes and shops.

Japanese Bakery Breakfast

The tiny foodstore was stopped at was full of Japanese bakery items that were different to anything I’d ever seen before. It was hard to decide what to choose when everything looked new and delicious, especially since we didn’t have a clue what we were buying. Luckily, we chose well! We bought a spongey cake filled with a red bean paste jelly and some soft and squishy yellow things that I don’t have the vocabulary to describe very well in English. There’s a whole other category of Japanese baking that I just don’t have the words for!

We decided to save the squishy yellow balls for later. Still pretty hungry, we stocked up on rice and seaweed breakfast snacks at 7-11, which was quickly becoming one of my favourite dining destinations (kind of kidding).

Even 7-11 food is presented carefully in Japan. One of my favourite 7-11 breakfasts is an assortment of triangular onigiri rice balls, which you peel from the top point of the triangle to reveal a delicious rice snack filled with some sort of fish or vegetable filling.

This part of Tokyo was very quiet and peaceful, with hardly anyone about on the street. From here, it was a short walk down to the pre-war shopping street Yanaka Ginza.

Shopping on Yanaka Ginza

Yanaka ginza is a pre-war stopping street, jammed with stores selling traditional goods, food and produce. None of the buildings along Yanaka Ginza were more than a few stories high, and with the open plan shops spilling out onto the narrow pedestrian streets it felt much more intimate than Shinjuku or Shibuya.

For some reason, I wasn’t in a shopping mood when I was in Tokyo – I think I was in such a state of shock and awe, that instead I preferred to try and absorb the sensory overload of the city. I had no mental room for shopping, but if I went back I would definitely go shopping for jewellery, art and homewares in Yanaka Ginza.

Kawaii Architecture & Sacred Spaces

After walking along Yanaka Ginza, we strolled through the backstreets of Yanaka towards Ueno Park. Like so much of Tokyo, Yanaka is full of a variety of architecture, but I particularly loved some of the super kawaii, candy coloured buildings I spotted in this area. On one corner you’d see a cartoon-like corner store or house, and on the next you’d pass a peaceful shrine or temple. There are surprises around every corner in Tokyo!

Have you been to Tokyo? Did you visit the Yanaka neighbourhood?