YanakaGinza 谷中銀座商店街

Discover the retro charm of a traditional shotengai shopping street

Many of Japan's old shopping streets, called shotengai, have been hurt by the rise of supermarkets and chain stores, but that does not mean that the future is necessarily grim for all shotengai.

Yanaka Ginza is an example of one shotengai that is thriving against the odds. Its retro charm lies in small independent shops, from sellers of meat, fish, vegetables, and other daily staples, to purveyors of ready-to-eat foods, tea, or traditional Japanese wagashi sweets—all prepared the good old-fashioned way, in small handmade batches.

Pay a visit during the summer festival in early August, though, and you will discover the important role that shotengai like this one have in bringing the community together too.

Yanaka Ginza is a short walk from Nippori Station, roughly 15 minutes on the JR Yamanote Line from Tokyo Station.