View of Yanaka Ginza, Ueno, Yanesen & Komagome.

©Rebecca Milner/Lonely Planet

Yanaka Ginza

Ueno & Yanesen


Yanaka Ginza is pure, vintage mid-20th-century Tokyo, a pedestrian street lined with butcher shops, vegetable vendors and the like. Most Tokyo neighbourhoods once had stretches like these (until supermarkets took over). It's popular with Tokyoites from all over the city, who come to soak up the nostalgic atmosphere, plus the locals who shop here.