Experience the Taste of Old Tokyo in Backstreet Yanesen
Description
Step back into the Tokyo of another era in Yanesen, the historic trio of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi neighborhoods. Among temples, shrines, and winding backstreets, you’ll discover a neighborhood where daily life still hums to an older rhythm. This full-day walk blends history and flavor: from handmade onigiri and fresh unagi to nostalgic sweets, retro kissaten coffee, and sake. Along the way, you’ll slip into century-old shops, sip drinks in a converted bathhouse, and meet the craftspeople keeping Tokyo’s culinary traditions alive.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Step back into the Tokyo of another era in Yanesen, the historic trio of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi neighborhoods. Among temples, shrines, and winding backstreets, we’ll discover a neighborhood where daily life still hums to an older rhythm. This full-day walk blends history and flavor: from handmade onigiri and fresh unagi to nostalgic sweets, retro kissaten coffee, and sake. Along the way, we’ll slip into century-old shops, sip drinks in a converted bathhouse, and meet the craftspeople keeping Tokyo’s culinary traditions alive.
Nezu shrine is considered one of the oldest Shinto Shrines in Japan, and while it’s current main structures were built in the early 18th century the shrines' origins are said to date back 1900 years.
Yanaka was built in the Edo period as a temple town. There are 117 temples in the Yanesen area 76 of these in Yanaka.
Most of Tokyo transformed after WWII, but Yanesen preserved its atmosphere — temples and cemeteries, narrow alleys, wooden townhouses, and a pace of life that feels untouched by modernization. Since the Edo period, this district has drawn visitors seeking beauty, quiet, and a good meal, and its food culture evolved in ways lost elsewhere in the city.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(43)
The Backstreet Yanesen tour was one of the absolute highlights of our time in Tokyo. Kan is a phenomenal guide and we learned about so much more than food. The neighborhoods we explored were lovely and we certainly wouldn’t have encountered them without Kan’s guidance. Every stop was more delicious than the last. Almost every producer was from a family tradition going back generations, tucked away in a backstreet storefront that doubled as their home. We got a real insight not only into the foodways of the community but also into the life of the communities themselves. We also visited beautiful shrines and temples and got insights into Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, customs and rituals that it would have been difficult to find otherwise. Can’t recommend this tour highly enough!!
Great introduction to Japanese food. Loved walking the backstreets, meeting the shop owners and learning their stories.
Hello! Thank you so much for your kind words and for spending the day with us. We are so glad you enjoyed walking the backstreets and hearing the unique stories of the families we visit. Your visit helps support these local heroes and plays a vital part in preserving their beautiful culinary traditions.
This was a brilliant experience! We had such a good day with Kan, who was so friendly and knowledgeable about the area, Japanese culture and modern day society, food and traditions. The food stops were delicious (special mention for the red bean pastry) and it was a great way to wander through residential neighbourhoods you probably wouldn't see if you're just doing the tourist highlights. We visited multiple shrines, cafes, and generally ate our fill. Highly recommend!
Thank you for sharing your experience and for choosing to explore the residential neighborhoods of Tokyo with us. We are so glad your guide could help you discover the daily life and rich culture of the area. Your visit truly helps us support the unsung heroes of the kitchen and plays a vital part in preserving these beautiful culinary traditions.
The tour was wonderful! Our guide Kan was charming, his selections of places to stop to try the food were outstanding and well timed, he provided many interesting background details and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed exploring the daily life and flavors of the city with Kan. It is travelers like you who help us support these traditional family-run spots and preserve their precious culinary craft.
This was a really nice relaxing tour of traditional Japanese foods, temples and traditions away from the crazy crowds of Tokyo while easy to access from downtown. It did not seem like we were walking very fast but we covered a lot of ground and dropped into many places to eat and drink - regular foods, delicious desserts, snacks, tea, alcoholic drinks. Our guide was very knowledgeable, fun and super nice. A really great overview of Japanese foods and introduction to the amazing people that make it.
Thank you for the wonderful review and for taking the time to explore the quiet, daily life of Tokyo with us. We truly appreciate your support of the city's unsung heroes who work passionately to preserve these invaluable culinary traditions. It is an honor to share the stories of these masters passing their craft to the next generation.
Guide had an observer along and the pair were really delightful, adding different perspectives and history to the tour. We ate a lot and the onigiri has been the highlight of the trip foodwise. Would not have found otherwise. We wanted to try a number of dishes without stressing about where to go and we also were interested in temples and shrines so it was the perfect combo. We had a good time and really enjoyed Michelle (and Drago).
Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with us. We are so glad that you enjoyed exploring the neighborhood and discovering some of our favorite unsung heroes of the kitchen. Your support means the world to these small, traditional businesses and helps us in our mission of preserving local culinary traditions.
We loved our food tour with Diana. It connected us with the heart of Tokyo & its food culture. Good fun, informative & delicious
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are so glad this experience connected you with the heart of Tokyo's food culture and the daily life of the city. By joining us, you are helping to support these unsung culinary heroes and playing a vital part in preserving traditional family crafts.
We had a great day touring Yanesen, eating delicious food, learning the history and visiting temples and shrines. Our guide Mairi was fantastic and very knowledgeable.
Thank you for the review and for taking the time to share your wonderful experience in Tokyo. We are thrilled that you enjoyed exploring the history, daily life, and delicious foods of Yanesen with our fantastic guide. Your visit means so much to us, as it directly supports the unsung heroes of the kitchen and helps preserve these vibrant culinary traditions.
I really can’t recommend this tour highly enough. Michelle was an absolutely brilliant guide, so friendly and knowledgeable with a deep knowledge of and love for Japan, Tokyo, and its amazing and varied cuisine. I worried that 6 hours might be too long, but it flew past as we discovered delicious nigiri, one of the coolest cafes in Tokyo (in a former public bathhouse), delicate, scrumptious eel (I’m generally not a fan but believe me, you’ll want to try this one!), fresh fruit juice, mouth-watering mochi, and so much more. And the tour isn’t just about food. We also visited some beautiful temples off the beaten track, which gave us a rare opportunity to get a sense of Tokyo beyond the crowds. The real draw is Michelle, who brings everything together in the most exciting way. If you’re in Tokyo, do not miss this! It was the best thing we did in our 2 weeks in Japan.
Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with us in Tokyo. We are so glad you enjoyed exploring the complex daily life of the city and supporting the traditional, family-run spots that make it special. Your participation helps us continue our mission of preserving culinary traditions and championing the unsung heroes of the kitchen.
We love culinary backstreets tours! This was an ambitious agenda, we really appreciated having a heads up that we would be walking and standing so much (more than 10,000 steps). However, we would have appreciated cutting one of the sesame snack stops which felt duplicative, a couple more stops for a seat in the shade, and more availability of water. Kan (spelling?) provided incredible, detailed historical and cultural information about the food, Tokyo, and Japan, in general. We were impressed with his conversational English and the incredible information and stories he provided.
Hello, and thank you for supporting Tokyo's local heroes and preserving its deep culinary traditions. We value your honest feedback regarding the pacing and stops, as it helps us refine how we share the complexity of the city's daily life. We are thrilled that you enjoyed the rich historical stories and the connections made with the masters passing down their craft.
