you read so much about yanaka (谷中) an area just west of nippori jr station and part of the northern tokyo an area close by to ueno (上野) and asakusa (浅草). you decided to check yanaka out yesterday.
without any guide book at hand, since your japan guidebook doesn't entail yanaka, you rely on what you have read on other's blogs and what you can remember....
so, it's "nippori jr station, turn left, head west"....
this area has the highest concentration of temples and graveyard (or cemetery), perhaps the only area that out beat the number of convenient stores in entire tokyo. in most part of tokyo, you will find one convenient store less than 500 meters distance, they are everywhere on every streets and corners. in yanaka, it's the temples and cemeteries that match to this description. but you are not interested in temples because you worship Jesus. neither are you interested in the dead. you are here to indulge in the old tokyo at edo-era.
this is the famous yanaka ginza. yes it's called "ginza". this is the second ginza that you visited so far, the first one is ebisu ginza last weekend. you have not step your foot to the real glamorous ginza yet. not yet, there is no hurry to rush there for organza flame, not when you only have a pair of sneaker as your weekend shoes.
but yanaka ginza doesn't require you to dress up, a pair of sneaker is perfectly acceptable here. because this area has not changed since decades. no high rise buildings, no chic stores, no brand name but this place is full of live, full of delicious aroma, full of vibrant.
without any guide book at hand, since your japan guidebook doesn't entail yanaka, you rely on what you have read on other's blogs and what you can remember....
so, it's "nippori jr station, turn left, head west"....
this area has the highest concentration of temples and graveyard (or cemetery), perhaps the only area that out beat the number of convenient stores in entire tokyo. in most part of tokyo, you will find one convenient store less than 500 meters distance, they are everywhere on every streets and corners. in yanaka, it's the temples and cemeteries that match to this description. but you are not interested in temples because you worship Jesus. neither are you interested in the dead. you are here to indulge in the old tokyo at edo-era.
this is the famous yanaka ginza. yes it's called "ginza". this is the second ginza that you visited so far, the first one is ebisu ginza last weekend. you have not step your foot to the real glamorous ginza yet. not yet, there is no hurry to rush there for organza flame, not when you only have a pair of sneaker as your weekend shoes.
but yanaka ginza doesn't require you to dress up, a pair of sneaker is perfectly acceptable here. because this area has not changed since decades. no high rise buildings, no chic stores, no brand name but this place is full of live, full of delicious aroma, full of vibrant.
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| 谷中銀座 walking through this gate, you are officially in yanaka ginza. it's early in the day, so there are not many crowds yet. it is good to let go, not relying on a map or guidebook, but relying on your senses to lead you here. |
stores selling marinated goods, pickles, senbei, fresh produces. food are so cheap here. you just realized you are reap off by paying the extra premium to the groceries at minato-ward where you are staying. everything is like 30 percent cheaper. what a bummer! but you don't want to come all the way here to do groceries shopping and carry them back home.
this is more like a domestic tourists area, i hardly see any foreigners here and neither there is any english word written. they are plenty of locals or japanese tourists carrying a travel magazine and checking out the good stuffs.
here you can see old men and women mending the store. they are just in their daily down to earth clothing, non pretentious. at the end of the street, you can even get a bento lunch box for 250 yen. that's probably the cheapest ever i have seen in tokyo. i pay on average 800 yen for a bento at chiyoda-ward where my client office located, here a large though not gourmet bento only costs 250 yen!!! life is really more affordable in yanaka.
as you leave yanaka ginza, you follow your instinct and stop you here, you read it somewhere too. you ordered a cup of black coffee to try. perhaps the best one ever for the average japan coffee that you have drank so far. this is cheap and strong. there's a kick in this yanaka coffee.
here you can see old men and women mending the store. they are just in their daily down to earth clothing, non pretentious. at the end of the street, you can even get a bento lunch box for 250 yen. that's probably the cheapest ever i have seen in tokyo. i pay on average 800 yen for a bento at chiyoda-ward where my client office located, here a large though not gourmet bento only costs 250 yen!!! life is really more affordable in yanaka.
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| yanaka coffee |
now you are completely lost! you don't know your orientation anymore, but you enjoy the small alleys, observing the balcony where people still hang their laundry outdoor, you sneak in to some communal area and this place reminds you to kyoto. and the door (on the bottom left) is actually smaller than a normal door, not a door that an adult can go in whiteout bending...
you take lots of photos here, simply because many things arouse your curiosity. things of the old, things of the past...
but you love your every moments here, you probably will come back again next time when you have a detailed tokyo guidebook at hand. for now, it is definitely a good yanaka first impression and orientation.
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