Local Secret · Kyojima (Sumida)
Kyojima Backstreets 京島の路地
A dense neighbourhood of nagaya row houses and tiny alleys that escaped the 1945 air raids, a few minutes' walk from Tokyo Skytree.
HoursOpen access
PriceFree
Getting thereHikifune Station (Keisei/Tobu), 5 min; Keisei Hikifune 5 min
Time needed1.5 hours
Best timeWeekend late morning
AddressKyojima 3-chome, Sumida City, Tokyo
About
Kyojima, in Sumida Ward, is one of the rare districts of eastern Tokyo spared from wartime firebombing. Its maze of narrow lanes is lined with wooden nagaya (row houses), potted plants, and small workshops; many are now occupied by artists, cafés and bakeries in renovated buildings. The Kirakira Tachibana shotengai is its old-fashioned shopping street. The Sumida backstreets are the antidote to the Skytree crowds.
Highlights
- Prewar nagaya wooden row houses
- Kirakira Tachibana shopping street
- Artist studios, galleries and cafés in renovated houses
- Skytree views from quiet alleys
Tips
- This is a residential area: be quiet and don't photograph people's homes up close
- Combine with Mukojima's Hato no Machi street and Skytree
- Weekends have more cafés and studios open
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
- Tobu MuseumMuseum · 450 m away
- UotokuSushi & Seafood · 590 m away
- Mukojima Hyakkaen GardenGarden · 760 m away
- Hatonomachi-dori Shopping StreetPhoto Spot · 800 m away
- Chomeiji Sakuramochi YamamotoyaLocal Secret · 1.2 km away
- Tokyo Skytree & Oshiage Stations · Coin LockersLuggage Storage · 1.3 km away
- Jukken Bridge Skytree ReflectionVista & View · 1.3 km away
- Postal Museum JapanMuseum · 1.3 km away