Yanaka Ginza

What the guides say about Yanaka Ginza

Evening. Two endings. The quiet one walks north from Ueno into Yanaka, where Yanaka Ginza sells croquettes and menchi-katsu from open counters as the lanterns come on and the resident cats start their patrols. The loud one heads back to Asakusa for Hoppy Street, a strip of open-fronted izakaya where beef tendon stew and a Hoppy (a beer-flavoured mixer you top with shochu) land on plastic tables on the pavement. Either way, finish early. Day two's the long one.

Late afternoon and evening. The trick that makes this day work is that Nogizaka and Nezu are on the same Chiyoda line, about twenty minutes apart, with no transfer. Ride it north by mid-afternoon and step out into a different century. Nezu Shrine has a tunnel of red torii gates climbing a wooded slope. Arrive while it's still light, when it's calm enough to walk the full path alone. From there it's a fifteen-minute wander through Yanaka's wooden houses and temple walls to Yanaka Ginza, the shopping street that lights its lanterns as the croquette counters do their evening trade. Eat standing, then climb the Yuyake Dandan steps at the top of the street for the sunset they're named after. The Yanaka neighbourhood guide fills in the streets between. Dinner is whichever small place has a handwritten menu and an open seat.

Evening. Which east-side ending? Two good options. For the peaceful one, walk north from Ueno into Yanaka, the temple neighbourhood that survived the earthquake and the war, and stroll Yanaka Ginza as the croquette shops light up for the evening trade. For the louder one, go back to Asakusa for Hoppy Street, a strip of open-fronted izakaya serving beef tendon stew and the eponymous Hoppy (a beer-adjacent drink you mix with shochu) at plastic tables on the pavement. Either way, eat early and sleep early. Tomorrow's the long one.