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Yanaka Historical Walking Tour: Discover Tokyo's Old Town, Nezu Shrine, and Craft a Lucky Cat
4.9
166 Ratings
Bunkyo City
-Feel the Shinto vibe as you cross a vibrant red arch in Nezu Shrine, a portal into another world
-Feel the Shinto vibe as you cross a vibrant red arch in Nezu Shrine, a portal into another world
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Nezu Shrine - Experience the endless Torii gates, reminiscent of Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Immerse yourself in the Shinto atmosphere as you pass through a vibrant red arch at Nezu Shrine, a gateway to another realm. After gathering at Nezu station, the journey begins to Nezu Shrine, one of Tokyo’s most ancient shrines. It is renowned for its…
- Nezu Shrine - Experience the endless Torii gates, reminiscent of Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Immerse yourself in the Shinto atmosphere as you pass through a vibrant red arch at Nezu Shrine, a gateway to another realm. After gathering at Nezu station, the journey begins to Nezu Shrine, one of Tokyo’s most ancient shrines. It is renowned for its tunnel of vermilion torii gates, similar to those at Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine. As your guide shares fascinating cultural and historical insights about Japan, capture stunning photos in and around the tunnel. Discover the proper way to pray and conduct oneself at shrines.
- Yanaka District - Explore the Yanaka area and enjoy a traditional Japanese lunch.
Wander through a residential neighborhood to experience authentic local lifestyles.
Savor a variety of local delicacies as you explore Yanaka Ginza and find a charming house offering Soba lunch, a dish deeply rooted in Japanese culture.
- Nezu Museum - Walk past Nezu Museum.
- Cafe Neko-e-mon - Enjoy painting a Japanese cat doll while indulging in dessert and drinks in a delightful old Japanese house cafe.
Create a lucky cat as a travel keepsake in a cafe housed in a traditional folk home. After a pleasant walk, relax in a cafe with a drink and sweets. This is Japan’s first cafe to offer workshops for crafting lucky cat statues that symbolize luck and happiness. Paint a cat statue with your preferred colors and designs, ensuring your cat preserves your memories from Japan.
- Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street - A shopping street with a nostalgic charm. Sample some street foods.
Stroll through a residential area to experience genuine local lifestyles. Explore small establishments like antique stores and sweet shops that line the streets.
What's Included
- Tour photos
- Lucky cat craft experience (painting)
- Food samplings (Various types of local snacks and sweets)
- 1 drink & sweet at a cafe
- 3.5 hours with a local guide
- Tour photos
- Lucky cat craft experience (painting)
- Food samplings (Various types of local snacks and sweets)
- 1 drink & sweet at a cafe
- 3.5 hours with a local guide
Additional Information
- The itinerary for this tour includes some locations that are not accessible by a wheelchair or stroller.
- While you’ll enjoy some tasty food samples on this tour, a full lunch or dinner isn’t included. We suggest having a meal beforehand to make the most of your experience.
- Out of respect for other guests and to ensure the best tour for everyone, we…
- The itinerary for this tour includes some locations that are not accessible by a wheelchair or stroller.
- While you’ll enjoy some tasty food samples on this tour, a full lunch or dinner isn’t included. We suggest having a meal beforehand to make the most of your experience.
- Out of respect for other guests and to ensure the best tour for everyone, we must start the tour on time.
- You will not be able to join the tour, get a refund or reschedule if you are late for the tour and miss the group.
- Dietary requests made on the day of the tour cannot be accommodated. Please inform us at least one day before the tour if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies.
- Please note that we are unable to guarantee allergy-free or cater to dietary restrictions as the food is prepared in kitchens that do not belong to MagicalTrip. Additionally, there may be instances where substitutions are not possible at certain stops; however, we will make every effort to compensate at different stops throughout the tour.
- Japan’s climate has become more extreme, with summer highs of 40°C (110°F) and winter lows of -5°C (20°F). Please prepare accordingly for the tour.
Location
吉田マンション
- Outside of Tokyo Metro Nezu Station Exit 1
- Your guide will be holding a red/orange sign saying "Magical Trip"
- When arriving at Tokyo Metro Nezu Station, go to Exit 1 and up stairs to ground.
- Your guide will be waiting just right in front of upstairs
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(166 Ratings)
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Bulldog
Jun 27, 2025
Great experience - We had a wonderful experience with our tour guide Hana who was knowledgeable, personable and also excited to share her experiences of the area. The pacing was good and the cat cafe experience our family really enjoyed as well. We would strongly reccommend and it’s worth it to have a guide to find the hidden gems and add meaning to them. A half day in the Yanaka area is worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
547charlotteb
Jun 15, 2025
Great experience - Excellent tour. Hina our guide was lovely. We saw many places and shops we would have missed out on if not for this tour. Would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
725christianew
Jun 11, 2025
Yanaka-Must see! - Even though it was heavily raining, we had the most wonderful walk through the old town of Tokyo with our lovely guide Masae. She showed us spots we would never have found by ourselves and gave us so much interesting information about Tokyo and japanese culture in general. She also tool us to unique stores and had us try local culinary specialties - we loved them. We highly recommend this tour, it gives you a completely different vision of Tokyo that is really worth getting to know. Thank you Masae !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Goma007
May 22, 2025
Fun and Interesting - This was a great tour with a bit of information about Shintoism and a visit to a shrine, as well 20th century Japan with a trip down a fun shopping street. Painting the maneki-neko Lucky Cat was a lot of fun! Hina was an informative guide with lots of patience while we looked in the kitty stores.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amiargaman
May 18, 2025
A walking tour of Old Town Tokyo - This was a nice, relaxing walk off the beaten path and away from the multitudes. The experence was made all the more positive by the tour guide Mai, who with her tremendous knowledge of the history and the culture of the place, her friendly demeanor and her ability to adjust to the needs and interests of the adults and the children.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leigh_m
May 18, 2025
Lovely walking tour,... - Lovely walking tour, which covered Nezu Shrine, and the relaxing old town of Yanaka Ginza. Chihero shared information about the town and took us through many back streets to check out traditional houses and small shops that we definitely would not have found on our own!
Review provided by Viator
0naamag
May 12, 2025
We love Hina! - Hina was an incredible tour guide. We were in Japan for 2 weeks and this was one of our favorite tours. Hina was really knowledgeable, kind and moved at our pace. Every location she took us to she allowed us to spend the time we wanted there. She didn't rush us at all. She also took us through the local neighborhoods and told us all about the shops, hotels and restaurants. We highly recommend this tour as well as staying in the area. Thank you so much Hina!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stan_k
Apr 28, 2025
Our guide was great, saw... - Our guide was great, saw Azalea garden and Shinto shrine, and a street of Buddhist cemeteries. Tanaka neighborhood was quite interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Furiousf2025
Apr 25, 2025
Quiet Tokyo - Mark was an excellent host. This tour is serene and almost tranquil amidst the hectic of everyday Tokyo, and Mark did a great job explaining the various stations and localities along the way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Avinash
Apr 19, 2025
Ticked off the Tokyo Check list - I went with a load of expectations i guess.
One spring morning it turned out too sunny and warm for a walk in Yanaka.
Got off at Nipori Station, walked through the cemetery into the old town.
Cemetery is nice for a slow walk amongst nature and very peaceful.
Felt intrusive as if i was disturbing the peace and serenity in-spite of being solo.
Most old houses are replaced by new construction.
One Edo period historic wall remains and is worth finding. It is hidden in a small street.
The old houses are beautiful and slowly crumbling in the myriad of new tokyo.
I found a small restaurant for lunch luckily i arrived early so did not hv to face the issues of reservations. Please note Yanaka is not tourist friendly as most restaurants display We do not speak english signs openly.
The shopping Yanaka Ginza is just like any tourist trap in the world.
Over all i would say if u want to complete your tokyo checklist. Do this but get a local guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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