Our tour of Yanesen begins at Hongyo-ji Temple. With origins going back as far as the 13th century, Hongyo-ji is a serene temple with a long history connected to moon viewing, a significant part of traditional Japanese culture. As part of the tour, our guide will take you around Hongyo-ji’s traditional buildings and lush Japanese garden, where you will learn about the history of religion in the area.

Following the temple, you will then visit Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street. One of the most enjoyable things to do in Yanessen is to explore its unique stores, and Yanaka Ginza, with its small local shops, market stalls, and restaurants, showcases this uniqueness best. Unlike many other shopping areas in Tokyo, the street focuses on traditional culture, and it is a great place to try Japanese snacks and buy traditional souvenirs. From numerous Japanese wrapping cloth shops to art studios, as well as numerous sweet shops, sake stalls, and cafés, there is so much to see, do and eat, on this most charming of streets.

Not far from Yanaka Ginza is also the Hand Puppets Shokichi studio. Here you will see a show like no other – a comedy performance by lifelike Japanese puppets! The puppets are handmade using a variety of traditional and modern techniques by Mitsuaki Tsuyuki, an artist with over 60 years’ experience. As part of the tour, he will explain to you how the puppets are made and show you some of the different famous faces he has crafted over the years.

Carrying on with the theme of Japanese art, the tour then continues onto Asakura Museum of Sculpture, the former residence, and studio of Fumio Asakura, a much-lauded 20th-century sculptor. The three-story building is split into Western and traditional Japanese wings, housing many works of the sculptor, as well as a substantial library, numerous paintings, and two well-preened gardens, one of which can be found on the building’s rooftop. Thanks to Asakura’s unique vision, the home, and its gardens are a unique sight in themselves, and the whole place can be viewed as one interacting work of art. As part of the tour of this area, you will learn more about Asakura and his art, as well as the impact of modern art in Japan in the early twentieth century.

After the museum, you will then visit Kinkaido, a store that sells Japanese Nihonga painting supplies. Compared to the likes of oil paintings, Japanese Nihonga paintings have a naturally sparkling luster created by the use of rocks and minerals as the paints. These rocks have to be finely crushed into paints, and they can be very expensive, especially the ones also used to make jewelry. Color depends on the size of the rock particles, and thus, from a single rock, over 10 different colors can be made. As a result, there are 1,500 colors of paint in Kinkaido and it is a dazzling view to see. As part of the tour, the owner of the store will give you a tour of the premises in English, and you will also learn about the manufacturing process of these unique paints.