Walking tour of Yanesen - Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi
In a city that has undergone so many changes in the last few years, the area known as "Yanesen" - the collective term used for the Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi areas in Bunkyo Ward seems to have retained the charm of the old city very well.
The area can be discovered by yourself but enhance your walk of this area by visiting with a guide and exploring the back streets that you could otherwise miss.
The walk is great in the spring time when the azaleas come out at Nezu Shrine, one of the big attractions in the area. It's also nice to do all year long though the area lacks much shaded areas so I have chosen not to offer this tour in the summer season (July to early September)
The tour is currently available through the ToursByLocals platform.
A sample itinerary:
Meeting at a subway station in the Nezu area.
Nezu Shrine
Yanaka Cemetry, including the grave of Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the last shogun
The symbolic Himalayan cedar tree
Scai the Bathhouse, a renovated communal bath
Ueno Sakuragi Atari, reformed old homes
Yanaka Ginza street
Hebi-michi street, a meandering path built over a river
Ending at another station in the area
The tour length will be about 3-3.5 Hours
There are many photogenic spots in this part of Tokyo. I'd love to show you the more "hidden" spots that most travelers don't get to see. While certain parts of this district can get busy on weekends, it is still easy to find alleys that are completely free of people.