Yanaka

Most of low-lying Tokyo burned after the 1923 earthquake and again later in the century. Yanaka, on higher ground in the north-east, did not, and the consequence is a district of prewar wooden houses, narrow lanes and around seventy temples - the temples having been moved here after earlier fires in the seventeenth century, which is why the concentration is so high. Yanaka Ginza is the shopping street, a short slope of about seventy small shops selling croquettes, senbei, fish and household goods, reached down a flight of steps known as the sunset stair. Yanaka cemetery is large, wooded and lined with cherry along its central avenue; the last shogun is buried there. Cats are the district's mascot and there are more wooden cat ornaments than actual cats now. Several old houses have become galleries, a coffee shop in a bathhouse, and a small brewery.

What you'll find

• Prewar wooden Tokyo - a district that escaped the great fires of the twentieth century.
• Around seventy temples - moved here after seventeenth-century fires.
• Yanaka Ginza - a short shopping slope of about seventy small shops.
• The cemetery avenue - cherry-lined, with the last shogun's grave among the plots.

When to go

April for cherry in the cemetery; all year otherwise. Half a day.

Before you go

It is residential - people live here and lanes are private in feel. Yanaka Ginza is short and busy at weekends. The cat theme is heavily commercialised. Many shops close early and on Mondays.

Nearby

Ueno Park is south; Nezu Shrine is west.

Key facts