Yanaka Nostalgic Alleys

The main gate of Tennōji Temple is framed by two stone pillars, but the real marker is the bronze Buddha statue sitting exposed to the elements in the garden. This temple traces its origins to the thirteenth century, established by the…

Yanaka Cemetery covers twenty-five acres of winding paths lined with cherry trees and weathered stone markers. It sits on land that once belonged to Tennoji Temple, a site established in the seventeenth century. When the Meiji government…

The Asakura Museum of Sculpture stands out for its copper-clad exterior and the lush, private garden that winds around its core. Fumio Asakura, a master sculptor of the early twentieth century, designed this building himself in nineteen…

The Yūyake Dandan staircase descends from the high ground of the Yanaka neighborhood toward the shopping street below. The name translates to sunset stairs, a title earned by the view of the horizon framed perfectly by the surrounding…

The entrance to Yanaka Ginza is marked by a steep set of stairs known as the Yuyake Dandan, or Sunset Steps. This shopping street survived the great firebombings of nineteen forty-five, leaving its low wooden buildings and narrow lanes…

Kikumi Senbei sits behind a simple wooden storefront, identifiable by the hand-painted sign and the scent of charcoal-grilled rice crackers. It has occupied this spot since eighteen eighty-two. While surrounding neighborhoods shifted…

Kannon-ji temple displays a weathered, darkened wooden gate that stands apart from the glossy finishes of modern Tokyo. This site holds a piece of the city's old architecture, spared from the fires that claimed so much of the neighborhood…

The Kashiwayu bathhouse occupies a structure distinguished by a high, tiled roof and a sweeping curved gable known as a karahafu. Built in nineteen ten, this building served the local neighborhood as a public bath for nine decades. When…

Kayaba Coffee occupies a sharp, triangular building of dark wood and glass that anchors the corner of the street. Built in nineteen sixteen, the structure survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and the air raids of nineteen forty-five that…