Tokyo Unseen › Yanaka, Nezu & Sendagi

Neighborhood · No. 03

Yanaka, Nezu & Sendagi

谷中・根津・千駄木

Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi — collectively 'Yanesen' — are the parts of Tokyo that survived the wars, with old wooden houses and narrow lanes still intact.

Temple town, cats, hilly old-Tokyo lanes

Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi (collectively 'Yanesen') are the parts of Tokyo that survived the wars. Old wooden houses, narrow lanes, dozens of small temples, and the famous Yanaka cats. Best walked slowly with a coffee.

By Asakusa Boy. 15 years living in Tokyo's shitamachi. Spots tagged ✓ Visited have been verified in person — each comes with a short note. ✦ On the radar are the ones he's flagged as worth checking out, but hasn't been to yet.

  1. ✓ Visited

    Yanaka, Nezu & Sendagi · restaurant

    Unagi Obana

    Every visit makes me proud of this place. The flavoring is genuinely one-of-a-kind — 150+ years of refinement, and you can taste it in every bite. No reservations, walk-in only, served in the order you arrive. That's the rub, but it's fair: show up, queue, and you'll always get in. For lunch on a weekday, get in line by 9am and you're set. Three hours of waiting? It's worth it. I'm always in that queue.

    — Asakusa Boy

    Unagi Obana in Minamisenju draws crowds from opening—expect a queue. Known for grilled eel bowls and liver soup. Arrive early or settle in for a wait.

    ⚠️ Expect consistent queues, especially at lunch. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

    Address
    5-chōme-33-1 Minamisenju, Arakawa City, Tokyo 116-0003
    Hours
    Wed–Sun 11:30am–1:30pm, 4pm–7:30pm; closed Mon–Tue
    Price
    $$$
    Rating
    4.3 ★ (1417 on Google Maps)
    English
    Yes
    Reservations
    Not required
    📞 Call Search on Tabelog ↗ @uratsupe on IG
    Read the editor's full guide →

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