Experience Old and Nostalgic Tokyo: Yanaka Walking Tour

Leave Tokyo’s skyscrapers behind for a taste of daily life in historic Japan on this 3.5-hour walking tour through the Yanaka district. Developed as a temple town during the Edo period, people have long visited Yanaka for worship and sightseeing. Together with a small group of no more than 10 people, follow in their footsteps and admire the area’s charming temples and cherry blossom trees.

Discover the different side of the sprawling Japanese capital that dates back to its Edo period of the 17th through 19th centuries, admiring the area’s charming mix of temples, springtime cherry blossoms and timeless ‘reien’ (cemetery). A included guide will accompany you on your visit, providing additional details about Japanese history and local culture.

This Buddhist Temple sits on the edge of the Yanaka Cemetery and dates back to 1274. It is located in a pleasant garden behind an old wooden gate. In its grounds, there is a bronze Buddhist statue that dates back to 1690 and was beloved by locals as “Tennoji no Daibutsu”. Well worth to stop by.

This is an impressive cemetery and worth a look even though that is not a common route for the tour for tourists. It covers 100,000 square meters and has over 7,000 graves. It also has history more than 100 years after the Meji Restoration, the era that the government wanted to separate Buddhism and Shinto graves. However, most of the graves in this cemetery were owned by Buddhist so they established a public burial ground in Yanaka in 1871.

【Optional】
There’s a place to experience Japanese Tea ceremony on Tatami mats! It’s on 2nd floor of the building of Gallery Okubo.
The price of the tea (￥1,000) is not included into our tour cost, but you can actually try the authentic Japanese tea with the help of professional.

【Afternoon tour only】
SCAI The Bathhouse is a contemporary art gallery located in Yanaka, with a town ambiance reminiscent of Old Tokyo.The gallery is housed in a venerable public bath imbued with a 200-year history.

【Optional】
Shitamachi museum was established to teach future generations about the culture of the Shitamachi or “Down Town”.
Most of the objects on display are things that were actually used at one time, and you can see the houses with furniture and goods which are placed in the location where they would have been used and you can even touch some of the displays. Display items are changed in accordance with the season, so that repeat visitors also get to enjoy how life in the Shitamachi varied over the year.

【Afternoon tour only】
In the middle of traditional old town Tokyo surrounded by Buddhist temples, you can find this studio of Alan West which was once an auto body garage and is now the only operating traditional Japanese painting studio open to the public. He was born in US but ever since he graduated from Carnegie-Melon University, he moved to Tokyo and continued his study and got a bachelor degree in department of Japanese painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, and even took master degree there.

One of Japan’s oldest shrine and perhaps most striking, set amidst huge trees and flowering azalea or つつじ shrubs with ponds, pathways and iconic colored charming wooden structures reflecting Japanese traditional culture and beauty including succession of small Torii gates colored in vermillon beautifully.

One of best local shopping streets in Tokyo, with the well-remained old town “Shitamachi” atmosphere. Explore the nostalgic side of Tokyo through Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street and don’t forget to eat some local snacks!

• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• A maximum of 10 people per booking
• Tour duration can be extended at a rate of 3,000 yen per group, per hour, payable in cash
• Please inform your staring time when booking. The start time is from 9:00 am or 14:00 pm.

• Experience Old and Nostalgic Tokyo: Yanaka Walking Tour
  Add

• Professional guide

• Food and drinks（100-500 yen depending on what you want to try）
• Transportation expenses
• Hotel pickup and drop-off

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• Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Please inform your suitable start time in advance. The time is from 9 am or 13 pm.
• If you late for the meeting time in group tour, the guide will wait for you only 10 min, does not wait any more.

Please be advised..

• This Tour is Provided by Trip Designer Inc..
• Tour Timezone & Starts at Asia/Tokyo.
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
• This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 437 valid reviews on VIATOR.
• Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
• Maximum 8 Travelers is accepted for booking.