Local Secret · Yanaka
Yanaka Cemetery & Old Town 谷中霊園と谷中の町並み
A cherry-tree-lined cemetery and a quiet grid of temples, wooden houses and artisan shops: the Tokyo that bombs and bulldozers missed.
HoursOpen access (cemetery daylight hours)
PriceFree
Getting thereNippori Station (JR), West Exit, 3 min
Time needed2–3 hours
Best timeWeekday morning or spring
Address7-5-24 Yanaka, Taito City, Tokyo
About
Yanaka has more than 70 temples, a sprawling 19th-century cemetery whose central avenue becomes a tunnel of cherry blossoms in spring, and lanes of wooden houses converted into galleries and cafés. Highlights include SCAI The Bathhouse (contemporary art in a 200-year-old sento), Kayaba Coffee (a 1938 kissaten), the Himalayan cedar corner, and the tomb of the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Walk from Nippori to Nezu via Yanaka and Sendagi.
Highlights
- Cherry-blossom avenue through Yanaka Cemetery
- Tomb of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun
- SCAI The Bathhouse: gallery in an old bathhouse
- Kayaba Coffee, a renovated 1938 kissaten
- Some 70 temples in a few blocks
Tips
- Start at Nippori West Exit and walk downhill to Nezu
- Late March–early April for sakura, but weekdays are calmer
- Respect the graves, no picnics on plots
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
- Ueno Sakuragi AtariLocal Secret · 190 m away
- SCAI The BathhouseLocal Secret · 250 m away
- Tennōji TempleTemple · 290 m away
- Kayaba CoffeeCafé & Sweets · 320 m away
- Asakura Museum of SculptureMuseum · 350 m away
- Yanaka Himalayan Cedar CornerPhoto Spot · 370 m away
- Nippori Station · Keisei & JR Transfer Coin LockersLuggage Storage · 430 m away
- Kan'ei-jiTemple · 430 m away