Yanaka Ginza
谷中銀座商店街
A roughly 100-meter shopping street that keeps the feel of the Showa-era downtown, with fried meat cakes, cat-themed shops and the Sunset Staircase. It is the core of a stroll through Yanesen.
Yanaka Ginza is a short shopping street about 170 meters long, just west of Nippori Station. Its roughly 60 shops are mostly family-run businesses selling prepared foods, Japanese sweets and general goods. Menchi-katsu (fried minced meat cutlets) and cat-shaped sweets are popular. The Sunset Staircase (Yuyake Dandan) at the entrance is a classic spot for watching the sunset and the street scene, and cats often appear nearby. Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi, collectively known as “Yanesen,” have old temples, the Yanaka Cemetery (with a cherry blossom avenue in spring), Nezu Shrine (with azaleas in April) and old wooden café buildings. It is well suited to a half-day walk. Most shops are open from 10:00 to 19:00, and some are closed on Mondays. It is about a 5-minute walk from the west exit of Nippori Station on the JR line.
Opening hours
Shops about 10:00–19:00
Nearby sights
- Tokyo National Museum
- Ueno Park
- Ameya-Yokochō (Ameyoko)
- Akihabara
- Senso-ji Temple
- Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building
- Tokyo Imperial Palace & East Gardens
- Tokyo Skytree