Yanaka Ginza

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 intact when much of Tokyo burned. While developers transformed the rest of the city into concrete high-rises, the local merchants here maintained their small, neighborhood stalls. Cats have claimed the alleyways as their own, often outnumbering the shoppers during the quiet afternoon hours.