Yanaka
Yanaka, Tokyo
Yanaka is the Tokyo that survived: low wooden houses, temple after temple, cats on walls and craftsmen still at work. It escaped the 1923 earthquake fires and the war, and walking it is the closest the city gets to time travel.
The full Yanaka neighbourhood guide: every place on the map, where to eat and where to stay.
More photos of Yanaka
Insider tip
Start at Nippori Station, walk through the cemetery, then down Yanaka Ginza for street food. Add Nezu Shrine in azalea season.
What's on at Yanaka
Upcoming events at Yanaka and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
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 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.
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.
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.
Nakamura Fusetsu and the Shodo Museum, 90th anniversary exhibition
書道博物館開館90周年記念 中村不折と書道博物館 －不折のおたから大公開！－
Time 9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00, closed Mondays Station Uguisudani (JR), 5 min walk
A special exhibition on the painter and calligrapher Nakamura Fusetsu and the collection of the museum he founded, in two parts with a changeover in early October.
Smaller local events nearby
Shinnai-bushi Okamoto Miyanosuke Ichiyo Diary Performance Video Screening Performance
Sat 31 Oct · Taito Ichiyo Memorial Museum, Ryusen
A screening of a shinnai-bushi performance with readings of three letters, in the basement training room of the museum.
Free with museum admission · 11:00 and 14:00 · Map · Source: Taito City museums (Taito Arts and Culture Foundation) · 『新内節 岡本宮之助の会「一葉日記」公演動画鑑賞会』開催(10月31日)のお知らせ
Odaiba Park and Odaiba Kaihin Park · 1 exhibition Exhibition
Until 20 Dec · Odaiba Park and Odaiba Kaihin Park
See the exhibition
- On now, until 20 Dec 竹岡雄二 / ムン・キョンウォン&チョン・ジュン/ ハルーン・ミルザ_国際美術展TOKYO ATLAS
Listing in Japanese. Titles are shown as the venue prints them.
Source: SCAI The Bathhouse
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.
From the blog
Good to know
- How do I get to Yanaka?
- The nearest station is Nippori (JR). Yanaka is in Yanaka, Tokyo.
- How much does Yanaka cost?
- Nothing. Yanaka is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Yanaka?
- Plan for half day.
- When is the best time to visit Yanaka?
- Mornings.
Stay near Yanaka
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 Yanaka 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.