Yanaka, Nezu & Sendagi in One Day
Old Tokyo on foot: Nezu Shrine's torii, a kissaten breakfast, temple lanes and a cemetery of cherry trees, ending with sunset over Yanaka Ginza.
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Yanaka & Nezu
Torii, temples, cats and a sunset shopping street
For walkers who want the low-rise, wooden Tokyo that survived the earthquakes and the war, with good coffee and street snacks along the way.
1Nezu Shrine
Take the Chiyoda Line to Nezu and walk five minutes to the shrine; arrive by 9:00 and you will share it with locals only. The lacquered main hall is three centuries old, and a hillside tunnel of small red torii winds past the Otome Inari sub-shrine. In late April and early May thousands of azaleas cover the slope and the grounds fill for the festival.
1 HourCost: Free
2Kissaten breakfast in Yanaka
Walk north-east through the quiet streets of Sendagi into Yanaka, about 15 minutes, where several old kissaten coffee houses occupy converted wooden shops. Kayaba Coffee, in a corner house from the Taisho era, is the best known; order the morning set of thick toast, egg and hand-dripped coffee and sit upstairs on the tatami. Expect a short queue on weekends.
45 MinutesCost: ¥800–1,500- 3
Yanaka Cemetery and Tennoji
Continue east to Yanaka Cemetery, a broad grid of old family graves under a canopy of cherry trees; the central avenue is one of Tokyo's quieter blossom walks in early April. At the north end is Tennoji, with a large bronze Buddha seated in the courtyard, and the cats that gave Yanaka its nickname doze on the walls. It is calm, respectful and entirely free.
1 HourCost: Free - 4
Asakura Museum of Sculpture
Five minutes from the cemetery is the house and studio of sculptor Fumio Asakura, kept as he left it: a concrete atelier with a huge north window, a wooden home wrapped around a pond garden, and a rooftop garden of orchids. Remove your shoes at the door. It is closed on Mondays and Thursdays, so shift it to a walk down Hebi-michi, the snake lane, on those days.
1 HourCost: ¥500–1,000 
5Yuyake Dandan and Yanaka Ginza
Walk toward Nippori and arrive at the top of the Yuyake Dandan steps around 16:00; the name means sunset staircase, and the view down the short shopping street is why. Yanaka Ginza below is seventy small shops: fried menchi-katsu, taiyaki, rice crackers, tea and sake. Eat your way down, then climb back up for the sun setting over the rooftops before the shops close in the early evening.
1.5 HoursCost: ¥1,000–2,500
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food¥2,500–5,000
- Transport¥400–700
- Admissions¥500–1,000
Tips
In at Nezu on the Chiyoda Line, out at Nippori on the JR Yamanote: the whole route is on foot in between, about 5 km.
The lanes are narrow, sloped and partly cobbled, and the Asakura house asks for socks with no holes; wear shoes you can slip off.
Have breakfast at a kissaten and save lunch for the street stalls; Yanaka Ginza snacks are small and cheap, so try five rather than one.
The torii tunnel at Nezu is empty before 9:00, and the Yuyake Dandan shot needs a clear evening; in the cemetery keep the camera off the gravestones.