Yanaka Ginza, All You Need To Know

What To Do Yanaka Ginza

When I first heard about Yanaka Ginza, I assumed it would be located in the central Ginza district of Tokyo, and I was so wrong.

Most travellers to Japan would have never heard of this timeless part of Tokyo, which has been around since 1945 and has mostly stayed the same. 

So, you only visit Tokyo and want to explore some of the best non-touristic places around this metropolis. In that case, Yanaka Ginza is a highly recommended place to visit for a day trip.

Yanaka Ginza, All You Need To Know

Yanaka Ginza Tokyo
Yanaka Ginza is one of the most characteristic streets in Tokyo.

Since I started visiting Tokyo in 1990, I've been to most of the commercial and non-commercial places all over this mega-metropolis.

Why? Because I used to work in Tokyo from 1990 to 1992, I had my fair share of exploring the capital of Japan back in those days, which has been 30 years now. 

However, while working and living here, I never once visited Yanaka Ginza, though I had heard about this place. Most of my explorations were in the central districts of Tokyo.

Then after multiple visits to Tokyo over the last three decades, I finally made it a mission to check out Yanaka Ginza in March of 2019.

This shopping street started back in 1945, just after the second world war and has seen various changes throughout the decades.

It has also been a famous neighbourhood shopping street for those living nearby, catering to essential daily needs. 

In the 1990s, some improvement was made to Yanaka Ginza with a mission to become a famous shopping street for everyone, namely the local Tokyo people and international visitors.

Over the years, Yanaka Ginza has been known as one of Tokyo's "Shitamachi" or old town districts. The overall outlook of this place is still very original, with a rustic old town ambience.

Map of Yanaka Ginza
A Google Map of Yanaka Ginza shows some of the businesses there.

Why is this place called Yanaka Ginza? 

The area is called Yanaka, and the word Ginza was added for prestige, and the central Ginza district is 25 minutes by train from here. 

History states that back in the old days, there was only one main shopping street in Tokyo: Ginza. Throughout time, some other shopping streets began to add "Ginza" to their name.

This was because they wanted status in their shopping street name; hence Yanaka Ginza was born. So, again, this is located outside the Ginza district, that everyone may think. 

Location of Yanaka Ginza
The location of Yanaka Ginza is seen in a Goole Map of Tokyo. Note the major districts on the map.

Where is Yanaka Ginza?

First of all, it is not in the main Ginza area or district, but it is located in the area of Yanaka in the Taito City part of Tokyo and near Ueno.

The name sounds confusing, and it was explained above why the word 'Ginza' was incorporated into this area.

What to see in Yanaka Ginza?

The main attraction here is the old and nostalgic Tokyo shopping street feel, where the streets look like they have been trapped in time since 75 years ago. 

Visitors will experience a natural setting of a narrow shopping street that is non-covered and from the old days, with no modern buildings, no 24-hour convenient stores, Starbucks or any modern fast food.

Old shop at Yanaka Ginza
One of the nostalgic Japanese beauty saloon shops was spotted at Yanaka Ginza.

Walking here, you see primarily local Japanese and the occasional Caucasians or Asians around as this is not a regular high tourist area.

If you wanted to know how things were before Tokyo became modern, Yanaka Ginza is one of the best examples. 

Shop vendors are all locals who grew up here and sell a variety of daily necessities ranging from dried food and seafood to ready-cooked meals for takeaway.

There are about 65 businesses located along the main Yanaka Ginza shopping street and a lot more in the surrounding areas.

I have another article listing some of the most popular things you can see, eat and do in Yanaka Ginza.

Tokyo Yanaka Ginza
The busy scene along the main shopping street.

When is the best time to visit Yanaka Ginza? 

Anytime is a good time, but I recommend coming here in the Spring and Summer months from March to August when the weather is good. Most vendors will be active, except during winter. 

Overall, you can visit this place anytime throughout the year but know fewer open-aired vendors will be seen during winter.

If you plan to come on a weekend, you should expect large crowds here, and some of the businesses require you to line up to buy things. 

The best time to visit Yanaka Ginza would still be a weekday, but avoid Monday as several businesses tend to close. 

How long to spend at Yanaka Ginza? 

It takes at least one to two hours unless you plan to visit every store and try every restaurant and cafe here. For my trip here, I spent about two hours walking the main street and the many other smaller roads and alleys around here.

To fully experience Yanaka Ginza and Yomise Dori, the main street at the western entrance, you may need at least two to three hours of walking.

Food at Yanaka Ginza
Some of the local Japanese takeaway food is sold on the street.

What to Eat and Drink at Yanaka Ginza? 

A tricky question, but I managed to explore the entire main street to find that there are several small restaurants, cafes, and even Indian food found at Yanaka Ginza.

For food, I recommend trying the local Japanese hawkers or those selling bites along the street. A lot of deep-fried food is sold at these vendors.

One of the recommended and famous street food in Yanaka Ginza is the meat croquet or 'Menchi Katsu', which you often need to line up to buy them.

As you enter through the west entrance of Yanaka Ginza, there is a corner shop that sells ready-packed Japanese dishes. You can just buy what you need, find a spot to sit down and have a quick meal on the go.

For coffee, one place is Yanaka Coffee, located along Yomise Dori shopping street from the west entrance. They serve some authentic roast coffee and have a vast selection of beans worldwide.

Entrance Arch Yanaka Ginza
The west entrance to Yanaka Ginza. The arch is your indicator of the shopping street.

How long is Yanaka Ginza shopping street? 

The main street is the core area of Yanaka Ginza and is 170 meters (557 feet) long. But the general surrounding area is much more than that. 

If you total the entire area, you can explore this beautiful rustic Japanese shopping street for at least an hour. 

Photos of Yanaka Ginza Street

Below are a series of photos taken along the main Yanaka Ginza street and also the surrounding areas. I used an Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II camera for all my images, which are resized.



Shopping at Yanaka Ginza
Roadside vendors are seen near the Yuyake Dandan stairs.  
Street Market Yanaka Ginza
A Japanese couple is seen selling some of their items by the road.
Yanaka Ginza Shops
A local souvenir shop sells all kinds of traditional Japanese things.
Yukata Kimono Yanaka Ginza
A second-hand kimono and yukata shop sells them for really low prices.
Yanaka Ginza Zakuro Bazaar
Zakuro Bazar is a unique art and craft shop at Yanaka Ginza.
Street Vendors Yanaka Ginza
Street vendors along the way to the Nippori Station.
Seafood shop Yanaka Ginza
A fresh seafood shop that has been here for decades.
Boutique Yanaka Ginza
One of the many clothing boutiques along the shopping street.
Souvenir Shop Yanaka Ginza
Various souvenirs are sold at one of the shops.  
Flower Shop Yanaka Ginza
A florist shop along the main street of Yanaka Ginza.
Old Shops Yanaka Ginza
One of the older shops that sell a bit of everything.
How to go to Yanaka Ginza?

Tokyo Metro: To get here, you need to take two Tokyo Metro trains, and it only takes around 30 minutes, much less than most parts of Tokyo. 

Take any Tokyo Metro subway train to the Otemachi Station, and from here, take the Chiyoda Line (Light Green) to Sendagi Station.

Exit the station and walk left towards the Bunkyo Sendagi Post Office; turn in there and walk to the end, and you will appear outside the Yanaka Ginza West Entrance. The walk is around five minutes.

Yanaka Ginza Yushima Station
The exit at Yushima Station near Yanaka Ginza.

Yamanote Line: Alternatively, you can take the Yamanote line from any major station around Tokyo and stop at Nippori Station. From the station, take the west exit, then head across the Shimogoinden Bridge. 

Head along the main street, passing a cemetery on your left. Walk for 200 meters until you find a large flight of stairs leading down the road, and Yanaka Ginza is in front of you. In total, it takes about five minutes to walk here.

Yanaka Ginza Address:
3-13-1 Yanaka, Taito-Ku, Tokyo
Hours: 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM
Web: http://www.yanakaginza.com/

Ginza Yanaka
Yanaka Ginza is seen from the east entrance.
Conclusion

The next time you visit Tokyo and have some extra time, you should consider visiting Yanaka Ginza as it takes a little time, plus it would be something totally different.

Overall, it should take around two to three hours to travel here, walk around, take photos and continue exploring Tokyo.

Yanaka Ginza is genuinely off the beaten path and reminds us what Tokyo used to look like a long time ago.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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