Local Secret · Setagaya

Setagaya Daikan Yashiki & Boroichi-dori 世田谷代官屋敷・ボロ市通り

The thatched Edo-period residence of Setagaya's hereditary magistrates, still standing on a sleepy lane served by the one-car Setagaya Line tram. For four days each winter the lane becomes the Setagaya Boro-ichi, a flea market with roots going back more than 440 years.

About

The Omba family ran Setagaya for the Ii clan as daikan (magistrates) from the 18th century, and their thatched-roof residence and gate, built around 1737, are the only daikan house in Tokyo to survive as a designated Important Cultural Property. You can wander the earthen-floored kitchen, tatami rooms and the gravel courtyard where trials were held, for free. Next door, the small Setagaya Ward Local History Museum tells the area's story from Jomon times to the suburban boom. Most of the year the street outside, Boroichi-dori, is a quiet strip of bakeries and old houses. On 15–16 December and 15–16 January, though, it hosts the Setagaya Boro-ichi. The market began as a 1578 rakuichi (free market) and now has around 700 stalls of antiques, kimono, tools and plants, plus the famous daikan mochi rice cakes. Locals queue for those at dawn.

Highlights

• A 1730s thatched magistrate's residence and gate, a National Important Cultural Property
• Free entry to the house and the neighbouring Setagaya Local History Museum
• The Boro-ichi flea market every 15–16 Dec and 15–16 Jan, around 700 stalls
• The Setagaya Line tram, a two-car toy-sized train running through the backstreets
• Daikan mochi rice cakes sold during the market, with famously long queues

Tips

• Take the Setagaya Line from Sangenjaya or Shimo-Takaido. A one-day pass is cheap and covers the whole line, including Gotokuji and Shoin-jinja.
• For Boro-ichi go at 9:00 on a weekday date. By noon the lane is shoulder to shoulder.
• The house interior is closed on Mondays. The courtyard and gate are best photographed in the morning.
• Look for the old trial courtyard (shirasu) at the side of the house.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Gotokuji TempleTemple · 800 m away
• Setagaya HachimanguShrine · 870 m away
• Shoin Jinja & Shoin-jinja-doriLocal Secret · 1000 m away
• Tokyu Setagaya Line & Miyanosaka StationTransit Hub · 1.0 km away
• Sakura Jingū ShrineShrine · 1.1 km away
• Sazae-san Statues of Sakura-shinmachiStatue & Monument · 1.1 km away
• Baji Koen Equestrian ParkPark · 1.4 km away
• Sushidokoro KirakuSushi & Seafood · 1.4 km away