Yanaka Walking Tour: Historic and Traditional District of Tokyo

Discover the different side of the sprawling Japanese capital that dates back to its Edo period of the 17th through 19th centuries, admiring the area’s charming mix of temples, springtime cherry blossoms and timeless ‘reien’ (cemetery). A included guide will accompany you on your visit, providing additional details about Japanese history and local culture.

This Buddhist Temple sits on the edge of the Yanaka Cemetery and dates back to 1274. It is located in a pleasant garden behind an old wooden gate. In its grounds, there is a bronze Buddhist statue that dates back to 1690 and was beloved by locals as "Tennoji no Daibutsu". Well worth to stop by.

This is an impressive cemetery and worth a look even though that is not a common route for the tour for tourists. It covers 100,000 square meters and has over 7,000 graves. It also has history more than 100 years after the Meji Restoration, the era that the government wanted to separate Buddhism and Shinto graves. However, most of the graves in this cemetery were owned by Buddhist so they established a public burial ground in Yanaka in 1871.

【Optional】 On the second floor of the Gallery Okubo building, there is a small tea room where you can experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony while seated on tatami mats. This optional experience is not included in the tour price. If you would like to participate, the fee is ¥3,000 per person and can be paid in cash directly at the venue. During the experience, a professional host will prepare authentic Japanese tea and introduce you to the basics of this traditional cultural practice. The tea room opens at 11:00 a.m., so it can only be visited during tours that start in the afternoon. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

【Afternoon tour only】 SCAI The Bathhouse is a contemporary art gallery located in Yanaka, with a town ambiance reminiscent of Old Tokyo.The gallery is housed in a venerable public bath imbued with a 200-year history.

【Optional】 Shitamachi museum was established to teach future generations about the culture of the Shitamachi or "Down Town". Most of the objects on display are things that were actually used at one time, and you can see the houses with furniture and goods which are placed in the location where they would have been used and you can even touch some of the displays. Display items are changed in accordance with the season, so that repeat visitors also get to enjoy how life in the Shitamachi varied over the year.

【Afternoon tour only】 In the middle of traditional old town Tokyo surrounded by Buddhist temples, you can find this studio of Alan West which was once an auto body garage and is now the only operating traditional Japanese painting studio open to the public. He was born in US but ever since he graduated from Carnegie-Melon University, he moved to Tokyo and continued his study and got a bachelor degree in department of Japanese painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, and even took master degree there.

One of Japan’s oldest shrine and perhaps most striking, set amidst huge trees and flowering azalea or つつじ shrubs with ponds, pathways and iconic colored charming wooden structures reflecting Japanese traditional culture and beauty including succession of small Torii gates colored in vermillon beautifully.

One of best local shopping streets in Tokyo, with the well-remained old town “Shitamachi” atmosphere. Explore the nostalgic side of Tokyo through Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street and don't forget to eat some local snacks!