Published on Feb, 2025
As first time visitors to Tokyo (and Japan too), we were not sure quite what to expect on this tour.
After having walked around the Ginza area and Shibuya, bright lights, crowds and high-end labels seemed to be permanent fixtures.
Yanaka turned out to be the exact opposite, and our guide, Sui, was as good a guide as one could expect.
First, you can walk safely on the side streets of Yanaka. There were far more pedestrians than cars. The streets are also narrow and full of turns, so cars travel slowly. What I am saying is, you can comfortably stroll along this lovely little corner of Tokyo that is so completely different from anything you might have seen before.
Different? Little bakeries, small coffee shops in pre-war buildings, a real vegetable and fruit stand such as you might see is small town USA but with a Japanese twist, a beer hall- tiny, but serving locally brewed beer that you might find anywhere else) , an antique store with real antiques (bit prices, though), plenty of temples, just a wonderful opportunity to see a more normal small town.
The Yanaka Ginza that you come to towards the end is another delight. Exactly the opposite of the 'more famous' Ginza, with not a single brand name, all tiny local stores selling hand-made artifacts and family-owned food stands, an absolute delight - if you like that sort of thing, that is.
It can be a long-ish walk, around 3 hours, but its worth every minute.
And our tour guide, Sui, took us to so many interesting places that time just zoomed by.