Tokyo towns you should visit ①： Yanaka, the cats' town

If you are a tourist who visits Tokyo for the first time, you'd probably go to Asakusa, Shibuya, Harajuku, Akihabara and Roppongi.

Many Tokyo travel guides suggest you go to Asakusa to take a look at traditional side of Japan, to Shibuya and Harajuku for young culture, to Akihabara to buy electrical appliances and experience a little bit of the Japanese otaku (manga and anime) culture and to Roppongi for a night out.

They are all nice for "beginners," but if you have already visited these places and are looking for somewhere less touristy, why don't you visit "Yanesen" area?

The name "Yanesen" (ya-ne-sen) was made up by putting the first letters of neighboring towns Yanaka　(谷中）, Nezu （根津）and Sendagi　（千駄木）.　During the World War II many parts of Tokyo were burnt down by bombing, but this Yanesen area miraculously escaped war damage despite its old downtown location.

If you visit Yanesen, you'll see what Tokyo's shitamachi (下町） is like. Literally meaning "downtown," shitamachi usually indicates the areas where commoners like merchants and craftsmen were mainly living in the Edo Period, while Yamanote (山の手） was the residential area for upper samurai class.

I recently went to Yanaka, one of the Yanesen towns.  There are actually two famous spots you should not miss. One is Yanaka Reien (谷中霊園）, a huge cemetery where the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu was buried. It is also well-known for cherry blossoms. If you happen to be here in April, why not enjoy flower viewing in the cemetery? 

And the other touristic attraction is Yanaka Ginza (谷中銀座）shopping street with approximately 60 small shops and restaurants. It is small, but always busy with local shoppers, tourists and cat lovers.  Why cats? Because alley cats living in this area are considered as mascots of this shopping street.

This is the entrance of Yanaka Ginza taken from "Yuyake dandan," the stairs on the way from the JR Nippori station to the shopping street.  It is said that the sunset views seen from these stairs are very beautiful, although I've never seen them.

Look! A white cat is sitting on the roof of a tempura store, looking down at shoppers... oh sorry, it is a cat figure. Doesn't it look very real?

What about this one? ... It is another fake cat.

 This is the wooden signboard of a shop called Kittens. I forgot what they are selling...

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These two cat dolls are placed in front of a store. Traditionally shopkeepers often put a cat figure called 招き猫（maneki-neko, or beckoning cat) in their shops, since the one with the right paw raised is believed to bring money and the one with the left paw raised brings people, or customers. The cats in this photo don't look like typical beckoning cats, though.  

Strolling in the town of Yanaka,  you may feel as if you have slipped back into the good old Japan. But maintaining this unique atmosphere always requires the efforts of townspeople.

For example, this temple-like building (photo below) is actually an elementary school　（谷中小学校 Yanaka Shogakko). It was reconstructed 22 years ago, so as to blend in with the shitamachi surroundings.

 

ここからは日本語で。

From here, I'll write in Japanese.

浅草、渋谷、新宿、秋葉原に飽きたら今度は「谷根千」に行ってみたら？

浅草　あさくさ

渋谷　しぶや

新宿　しんじゅく

秋葉原　あきはばら

飽きる　あきる　　to get tired 

今度　こんど　next time

谷根千　　やねせん

谷根千というのは、谷中、根津、千駄木のこと。戦争中に空襲の被害にあわなかったから、今でも古い下町の町並みが残っているのです。

谷中　やなか

根津　ねづ

千駄木　せんだぎ

戦争中　戦争中　during the war

空襲　くうしゅう　　air raids

被害　ひがい　damage

下町　したまち

町並み　　まちなみ　　streets

下町とは、江戸時代に商人や職人が暮らしていた庶民の町で、上流武士は山の手と言われる地域に住んでいました。

江戸時代　えどじだい　the Edo Period

商人　しょうにん　　merchants

職人　しょくにん　　craftsmen

暮らす　くらす　　to live

庶民　しょみん　　common people

上流　じょうりゅう　　upper class

武士　ぶし　　samurai

山の手　やまのて　　

地域　　ちいき　　regions

先日、谷中に行ってきました。谷中で有名なのは、谷中霊園と谷中銀座商店街。

先日　せんじつ　the other day

有名　ゆうめい　　famous

霊園　れいえん　 cemetery

谷中銀座　やなかぎんざ

商店街　しょうてんがい　　shopping street

谷中銀座は野良猫がたくさん住みついていて、マスコットのような存在なんですよ。

野良猫　のらねこ　　alley cats

住み着く　　すみつく　　to live

存在　　そんざい　　existence

だから、屋根の上には置物の猫がいたり、店の看板も猫だったり。

置物　　おきもの　　figures

看板　　かんばん　　signboards

その他、谷中小学校も面白いですよ。校舎が今の形になったのは22年前。町の雰囲気に合うようにデザインされました。

面白い　　おもしろい　　interesting

校舎　　こうしゃ　　school building

雰囲気　　ふんいき　　atmosphere

下町らしさを維持するのも大変なんです。

維持する　　いじする　　to maintain