Kagurazaka

Take a step back in time in the middle of metropolitan Tokyo

Kagurazaka is a town of little alleyways with a lot of style. Once you walk into a little alley from the main street, it is a totally different world — you can feel the Kyoto-like atmosphere. It is a great place to visit, especially for foreign tourists.

To grasp this area, you should remember two landmark locations: Sakaue and Sakashita. Sakaue is the place where Waseda Dori Avenue crosses with Okubo Dori Avenue. Likewise, the point where Waseda Dori crosses with Sotobori Dori is called Sakashita. If you go down the slope from Sakaue, you will see the bright red color of the Bishamonten (Zenkokuji) Temple on your right.  During the festival season, the street is lined with vendors, and the lanterns light up the night. There is a festive mood in the air, and you will see excited Japanese crowds enjoying the event. The streets, lined with cherry blossoms in the spring, are a memorable sight. From the main street, if you go into an alleyway to your left and walk down the stairs, you’ll see watered stone pavement lit by lanterns. There is something special about the crisp air and the atmosphere there. There is no other town like Kagurazaka in Tokyo.   

If you walk past the Bishamonten Temple, you will see the sign for Goju-ban, a popular meat bun shop. Many people go there to grab delicious meat buns after drinking. There is often a long queue out front.  　

Further down to your right is the area with alleyways called hanamachi, where men go to be entertained by geisha.  If you walk further down, you will come across a building that used to house Twinstar, a disco that was famous for the unique para-para dance, which was all the rage during the bubble economy of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Today the disco is gone and the building is occupied by a restaurant & bar.

The area up Sakaue toward Waseda is dotted with modern Japanese-style restaurants and cozy dining spots that serve excellent food. Both sides of the street are lined with supermarkets, dry cleaners and other stores that cater to the residents of the area. The town isn’t all commercial — there are people who are actually living there, and you can catch a glimpse of their way of life.

It is said that Kagurazaka’s streets were made of stairs, not a slope, in the Edo period. The slope now is a one-way street, and interestingly, the direction switches from Sakaue to Sakashita in the morning, and from Sakashita to Sakaue in the afternoon. It is rumored that former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka enforced this rule to make his commute (from his residence in Mejirodai to Nagatacho) easier, but the story has never been proven. At present, Tokyo University of Science and Housei University are located in the neighborhood, so you will see quite a few students in the area. Kagurazaka is also a home to publishing and printing companies. At night, you can see students and businesspeople mingling on the slope.

Why don’t you spend some time in this quaint town to see a different side of Tokyo?

Transportation Guide

Kagurazaka Station: Tokyo Metro Tozai Line