Experience the Taste of Old Tokyo in Backstreet Yanesen

Step back into the Tokyo of another era in Yanesen, the historic trio of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi neighborhoods. Among temples, shrines, and winding backstreets, we’ll discover a neighborhood where daily life still hums to an older rhythm. This full-day walk blends history and flavor: from handmade onigiri and fresh unagi to nostalgic sweets, retro kissaten coffee, and sake. Along the way, we’ll slip into century-old shops, sip drinks in a converted bathhouse, and meet the craftspeople keeping Tokyo’s culinary traditions alive.

Nezu shrine is considered one of the oldest Shinto Shrines in Japan, and while it’s current main structures were built in the early 18th century the shrines' origins are said to date back 1900 years.

Yanaka was built in the Edo period as a temple town. There are 117 temples in the Yanesen area 76 of these in Yanaka.

Most of Tokyo transformed after WWII, but Yanesen preserved its atmosphere — temples and cemeteries, narrow alleys, wooden townhouses, and a pace of life that feels untouched by modernization. Since the Edo period, this district has drawn visitors seeking beauty, quiet, and a good meal, and its food culture evolved in ways lost elsewhere in the city.