Himitsudo
Yanaka, Tokyo
Source: himitsudo.com, checked 9 Oct 2026.
Himitsudo is Tokyo's most famous kakigori shop, just off the Yuyake Dandan steps by Yanaka Ginza. Natural ice from Nikko is shaved on a hand-cranked machine and drowned in homemade fruit syrups.
Insider tip
In summer the line can run for hours, so go early. The strawberry milk is the signature. It opens at 9am, 8am at weekends, and the hours change through the year, so check its X account before you go.
What the guides say about Himitsudo
Yanaka Ginza itself is for snacks: the menchi-katsu stand, the taiyaki, and the shops selling one thing each. Sit-down meals cluster along the lanes toward Nezu and Sendagi. Kayaba Coffee is a 1938 kissaten on the corner near the cemetery, open from breakfast. Yanaka Coffee roasts small batches for the walk, and Himitsudo draws a queue for shaved ice, longest in summer. Evenings are quiet. For izakaya, Ueno's Ameyoko is two Yamanote stops from Nippori and stays open late.
What's on near Himitsudo
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Himitsudo, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
ASAKURA ZOO 2026, special exhibition at the Asakura Museum of Sculpture
特別展 ASAKURA ZOO 2026
Time 9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00, closed Mondays and Thursdays; temporary closure 5 to 12 Nov Station Nippori (JR), 5 min walk
A special exhibition of the animal sculptures of Asakura Fumio, with animal and insect motifs from his collection of art objects.
Yanaka Chrysanthemum Festival
谷中菊まつり
Chrysanthemum figures, potted chrysanthemums for sale and chrysanthemum food at Daienji, reviving the Dangozaka chrysanthemum dolls of the Edo period.
azkin, CC BY 2.0 Encho Matsuri and ghost paintings at Zenshoan
全生庵 円朝祭（圓朝遺愛の幽霊画 公開）
Time See the temple page
Zenshoan, the Yanaka temple where the storyteller San'yutei Encho is buried, airs and shows his collection of ghost paintings during its Encho festival every August.
Nobuko Tsuchiya, Ace of Hearts, at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
土屋信子 Ace of Hearts
Station Nezu (Chiyoda Line), 6 min walk
A solo exhibition at the contemporary art gallery in a converted bathhouse.
Smaller local events nearby
Arakawa Culture Festival: utai (noh chanting) Performance
Sat 24 Oct · Suwadai Hiroba-kan, Nishi-Nippori
A day of utai, the chanting of noh plays, by Arakawa groups at Suwadai Hiroba-kan in Nishi-Nippori.
Free · 10:30 to 18:00 · Map · Source: Arakawa City · 令和8年度荒川区文化祭「謡曲大会」
Yanaka Antique Market (26th) Market
14 to 15 Nov · Enmeiin temple, Yanaka
An antique and flea market in the grounds of Enmeiin, a Yanaka temple just over the Arakawa ward line, held on a run of autumn weekends.
Free entry · Map · Source: Taito City (Koho Taito, 5 Oct 2026; organiser: Yanaka Kotto-ichi office) · 谷中骨董市（第26回）
Nearby
Around Yanaka
The Tokyo that survived, cemetery walks and all
Yanaka largely escaped both the 1923 earthquake fires and the wartime bombing, so it kept the low wooden streetscape the rest of Tokyo lost. A cemetery as a highlight? It sounds odd until you've walked this one. Cherry-lined paths, cats sunning on the gravestones, and almost no noise. Pair it with the Yanaka Ginza shopping street and you've got the best slow afternoon in the city.
Yanaka has 8 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 2 restaurants, 2 cafes, 1 shrine or temple, 1 park or garden, 1 neighbourhood and 1 bathhouse. Read the Yanaka guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Himitsudo?
- 3-11-18 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo (in Japanese: 東京都台東区谷中3-11-18).
- How do I get to Himitsudo?
- The nearest station is Nippori (JR Yamanote). Himitsudo is in Yanaka, Tokyo.
- How much does Himitsudo cost?
- Himitsudo is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Himitsudo?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Himitsudo?
- Weekday morning, right at opening.
Stay near Himitsudo
Browse live availability and compare prices around Yanaka.
Median US$168 a night across 42 listings within 1.2 km for a two-night stay a month out, sampled 20 October 2026. Cheapest quarter under US$122. See the weekly index for every neighbourhood.
See hotels near Himitsudo on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Tokyo earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.