Don’t miss. . .
NEZU SHRINE
Tucked down a backstreet, a short walk from Nezu Station, the grand red lacquered torii gate of Nezu Shrine (1-28-9 Nezu, Bunkyō-ku), built in 1706, is impossible to miss. On sunny days, turtles bask by the pond and children trawl the nearby stream for crayfish. Every April, the hills surrounding the shrine are aflame with about 3000 blooming azalea plants. In winter, queues form quickly outside nearby Nezu-no-Taiyaki (1-23-9-104 Nezu, Bunkyō-ku), a hole-in-the-wall shop selling perfectly crisp cakes shaped like sea bream and filled with hot, sweet bean paste.
KAMACHIKU
While the area has many notable restaurants, including Nanohana (1-10-26 Uenosakuragi, Taito-ku), which received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide for its kaiseki meals, you can’t go past Kamachiku (kamachiku.com), which specialises in udon noodles. Set amid the beautiful gardens of a former merchant’s house, the restaurant is inside a restored 1910 brick storehouse. Sit beneath the vaulted ceiling while you enjoy the thick wheat noodles in a delicate dashi broth with a side of tempura. If you’re not a fan of noodles, there are also dishes such as simmered beef and fluffy tofu. Don’t miss the excellent sake selection.
BAR HASEGAWA
The streets from Nezu to Sendagi are dotted with small wine bars, from 76 Vin (2-13-8 Nezu, Bunkyōku), with its French atmosphere, to a friendly New Zealand wine specialist, fittingly called NZ Bar (nzbar.net). Whisky fans should seek out Bar Hasegawa (1-22-16 Nezu, Bunkyō-ku), whose owner, Morito Hasegawa, left the bright lights of Ginza for the laid-back vibe here. Sit at the long wooden bar flanked by a curved glass wall to watch Hasegawa, in his crisp white shirt and black bow tie, cutting ice cubes by hand and mixing highballs with flair.
SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
While there seems to be a gallery on every street corner in Yanaka, the best is SCAI The Bathhouse (scaithebathhouse.com). The minimalist 200-year-old former bathhouse is the perfect backdrop for the gallery’s roster of contemporary local and international artists, from Tatsuo Miyajima to Jenny Holzer. Each exhibition has accompanying notes in English. If you need sustenance after deep contemplation, head around the corner to the charmingly retro Kayaba Coffee (6-1-29 Yanaka, Taito-ku), a mix of Taisho-era architecture and ’70s-style interiors, for soft-egg sandwiches and strong coffee.
ISETATSU
It’s hard to miss Isetatsu (2-18-9 Yanaka, Taito-ku), as the windows of the tiny paper shop are a riot of patterns and colour. The family has been block-printing chiyogami paper – a decorative style made popular in the Edo period – since 1864 yet the intricate prints, with their bold colours and humorous designs, are surprisingly contemporary. Cats in kimonos fight and drink sake, stylised plum blossoms dance across geometric backgrounds and umbrellas float through graphic rainstorms. It still takes up to two weeks to hand-print a set of 200 sheets, which can have up to 20 colours. The designs range across rolls of wrapping paper, writing sets, scarves and table linen.