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Day 11 - A walk in Yanaka

The last full day of our stay in Japan devoted to a relatively small area of \u200b\u200bTokyo beaten by tourists, Yanaka . Yanaka is officially part of the wider district of Taito near the station name of the Nippori Yamanote line, but many simply call so the area around the eponymous big cemetery, the Yanaka Boch ( 谷中 墓地) , .

The cemetery is a big attraction during the period of Hanami, when people gather to admire the cherry blossoms and spending time with friends and serenity, but in all other periods of 'year, the area loses its attraction of tourist to return to a peaceful normal. And this is what has made our eyes the wonderful place!

The area is spread horizontally, and the skyscrapers are just one threat on the horizon, at a safe distance from this oasis of tranquility, many traditional houses can glimpse through the gates of any garden.

Yanaka Cemetery contains more than 7,000 graves, including those of some famous Japanese writers.

Here, the boundary between private homes and temples is not always easy to identify, and this adds charm and atmosphere of the place.

These small niches with statues of Jizo Buddha or offer a moment of reflection and detachment from the frenzy of the day, despite all the chaos of the outside world is there, a few steps from you ...

... then suddenly you find yourself in a narrow alley overlooked by restaurants or other small family-run shops

The cemetery is located near the temple Tenno-ji, in which there is a large seated Buddha, about 5 feet high, surrounded by the green of the trees and the dark wood of the buildings of the temple.

Originally the Tenno-ji had much more substantial size, but was severely damaged in 1868, at the end of the Edo period, during the battles between those loyal to the shogun and imperial troops, and eventually ended up shrinking down to its present size.

The statue of the Daibutsu of Yanaka, created around 1690

Yanaka has its good shopping area, the Yanaka Ginza , in reality little more than a medium-sized street that cuts through the neighborhood. Unlike the great shopping streets of Tokyo, home to non-luxury brand shops or megastore, but only stores basic needs and basic services, restaurants, shops of handicrafts, so that it appears minimal and a bit 'too spartan comparison with similar roads in the city much smaller than Tokyo (such as Kamakura). And maybe it's better this way: at least we could see a personality trait of Tokyo that is disappearing every day, something different from the usual products that I can find in every corner decorated with bows of a large city in any of the five continents.

Yanaka Ginza

Here, as before in Kamakura, you can easily come across customers in small stores, which enliven the environment and the day those who meet them.

And linger in these places, keep the cards in his hands made with traditional paper and wooden ocarina, eat food bought in a place halfway between the stand a walking and a restaurant is the unique experience that you can do here, without planning or without a guide ... like maybe I've said many times: losing.

In an open space between two houses, sometimes watched by curious passers-by as we are, these guys fabricated flutes made of reeds and other small crafts.

Finally, the neighborhood is very friendly!