Recently Viewed
Yanaka Historical Walking Tour: Discover Tokyo's Old Town, Nezu Shrine, and Craft a Lucky Cat
4.9
173 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
(173 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Jonsb3097jp
Sep 21, 2025
Wonderful - Had a fantastic day with Mark
He was full of information about the loczl area, was very engaging and a general all round nice guy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kyliehn5238dy
Sep 18, 2025
The Other Side of Tokyo - What a great tour! Walking around this area was an insight into a side of Tokyo not so many tourists see. Mark, my guide, was knowledgeable and fun to be with. Such an interesting area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabethbn9932wl
Aug 19, 2025
The BEST tour with Ayaka! - Yesterday, my 13-year-old son and I had a wonderful walking tour of Yanaka with the best guide I've ever had—Ayaka! She was incredibly kind, funny, and knowledgeable, and chatting with her felt effortless. We shared many laughs and learned so much, especially at Nezu Shrine, where she gently guided us on respectful customs and practices.
Despite the intense summer heat and humidity (tip: bring water and a handheld fan!), we loved exploring the peaceful, winding lanes of Yanaka. Ayaka took us to a charming stationery store with unique, handmade Japanese gifts, plus two must-visit shops on Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street: one with beautiful bamboo products and another with stunning handcrafted homewares.
A highlight was relaxing at Cafe Neko-e-mon with iced drinks and sweets while painting our own lucky cat figurines to take home.
If you're looking for a quieter, less touristy side of Tokyo, book this tour—and ask for Ayaka. You won’t regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Regs509
Aug 13, 2025
Great tour - Aoi was lovely. She went above and beyond to make sure we had a good experience - even took us to a cat cafe in Lou of a cafe for pastries (where we wouldn’t have been able to eat because of gluten issues). It was good to get information about student life in Japan as well as learn about Old Town.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
887lorenzof
Aug 6, 2025
Great experience - Mark was great, prepared and nice. Great guide who made us discover the traditional and true part of Tokyo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richalt2016
Aug 6, 2025
Great summer day in yanaka - Sir mark was our tourguide for the day. He was very informative as we explore nezu shrine and yanaka street. We even painted our very own neko with a free drink and snack. Thank you for this wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
Karenbs8321ho
Aug 5, 2025
Great experience! - Had a wonderful time on the tour, and my guide Mark san was very nice, polite and informative all throughout, answering all the questions that I had. Really enjoyed the maneki neko painting cafe experience, and the whole tour was very peaceful and a different and welcome change of pace compared to the rest of my trip. At the end of the tour, Mark san was very helpful in walking me into the train station and guiding me on which train to catch to get back to the hotel I was staying at. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
