Yanesen: The District That Became a Magazine · 5
Cats and the sunset stairs
Ep. 5 · Yanaka Ginza, a shopping street you eat while walking
FitTrip Editor · 2026.07.18
Yanaka Ginza is a shitamachi shopping street of some sixty old shops, its emblem the “Yuyake Dandan” (sunset stairs) at its entrance. It is loved for eat-while-walking snacks — croquettes, senbei, imagawayaki — and for the cats napping along it. The neighbourhood’s kitchen and living space long before it became a sight, its old shops — the ones Episode 2’s magazine reported on — still trade across generations. Eating on the move, meeting cats, and setting the day’s direction from the sunset stairs: Yanesen’s living daytime.
Past the hush of temples and cemetery we have walked so far, in Episode 5 the district makes a sound. Descend the stairs called Yuyake Dandan and the living daytime of a shitamachi begins.
Down the sunset stairs
At the entrance to Yanaka Ginza stand the stairs called Yuyake Dandan, “sunset stairs” Fact. From the top the shopping street and the western sky open at a glance, making it the district’s most photogenic spot at sunset Estimate. Descend and a narrow street of some sixty old shops runs on Fact.
A district eaten on the move
Yanaka Ginza’s grammar is eating while walking. Croquettes and menchi-katsu, freshly grilled senbei, imagawayaki — a street for tasting a little of several rather than settling on one Estimate. It was the neighbourhood’s kitchen long before it became a sight, and the old shops Episode 2’s magazine reported on still trade across generations Fact. And between them, cats napping in the good sun — why Yanaka is called a cat town Fact. As with Euljiro’s old eateries and Red Hook’s dock table, a working district’s daytime is most honest on the plate.
FAQ
- What is Yuyake Dandan?
- The staircase at the entrance to Yanaka Ginza, its name meaning “sunset stairs”. From the top the shopping street and the western sky open at a glance, so it is known as a spot especially beautiful at sunset.
- What should I eat?
- Eat-while-walking snacks are the signature — croquettes and menchi-katsu, senbei (grilled rice crackers), imagawayaki. With old sweet-shops and side-dish shops throughout, it suits tasting a little of several rather than settling on one.
- Are there really many cats?
- Yanaka is called a “cat town”, with a strong cat image; you may meet cats napping along the street or shops of cat goods. But living cats vary by the day — best to treat meeting one as a happy chance.
Checklist
- From atop Yuyake Dandan, take in the street and sunset
- Eat on the move — a little of several, not just one
- Treat meeting a cat as a happy chance
- Weekday mornings are quiet; weekends and midday crowd
See the full course on FitTrip →