Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi

Yanaka, together with its neighbors Nezu and Sendagi and known collectively as Yanesen, is the best place in Tokyo to see the city as it was before the twentieth century remade it. Much of this area escaped the fires of the 1923 earthquake and the 1945 air raids, so its lanes still hold wooden houses with potted plants at their doors, small family shops, old public baths and dozens of temples, many of which moved here after the great fires of the Edo period. The walk usually starts at Nippori Station and climbs through Yanaka Cemetery, a huge and peaceful burial ground shaded by cherry trees, with the tomb of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun, among its notable graves. Beyond it, the old temple town's lanes lead past Kannon-ji, with its distinctive roofed earthen wall, and down to the Yuyake Dandan steps, named for the sunset views, which descend into Yanaka Ginza, a shopping street of about seventy small shops selling croquettes, rice crackers, pickles, sweets and crafts. Cats are the neighborhood mascot; you will see real ones in the lanes and carved ones on rooftops and shop signs. Further south, Nezu Shrine, said to be one of the oldest in Tokyo, has a lacquered main hall from the early eighteenth century, a tunnel of small red torii gates and a hillside garden of some three thousand azaleas that blooms in April. The area is also home to small galleries, including SCAI the Bathhouse, a contemporary art space in a converted public bathhouse, and to craft workshops, old-style coffee shops and modern cafes in renovated houses. Everything is free to explore, and the walk is gentle and easy.

Yanaka rewards slowness. It is not a sight to tick off but a neighborhood to wander, and its pleasures are small: a cat asleep on a temple wall, an old man watering his potted morning glories, the smell of frying croquettes, a craftsman's shop selling hand-printed paper. That makes it a perfect antidote to the scale of Shinjuku and Shibuya, and an easy add-on to Ueno Park, which lies just to the south. Families enjoy the street food and cats; couples love the cafes and the sunset steps; photographers find the best traditional streetscapes in Tokyo.

A good route: Nippori Station, through Yanaka Cemetery and the temple lanes, down the Yuyake Dandan steps for an afternoon snack crawl along Yanaka Ginza, then south through the backstreets to Nezu Shrine, ending at Nezu or Sendagi Station. Allow three hours at an easy pace. Weekends and holidays are busy on Yanaka Ginza, so weekdays are best. Many small shops close one or two days a week and in the early evening, so go in the late morning or afternoon. The area is residential, so keep voices down and do not photograph people's homes or private gardens closely.

Food is part of the experience. Try the menchi-katsu minced-meat croquettes and the cat-shaped sweets on Yanaka Ginza, and look for the area's old-fashioned coffee houses for a break. Yanaka Cemetery and the temples are among Tokyo's quieter cherry-blossom spots, and the April azaleas at Nezu Shrine are spectacular. From Yanaka, it is about fifteen minutes on foot to the museums of Ueno Park and a short train ride to Asakusa. Several walking-tour operators and volunteer guide groups also lead small-group walks through the area, a good option if you want the history behind the temples and shops explained as you go. Wear comfortable shoes, since the temple lanes include slopes and steps, and carry some coins for the small shops, many of which still prefer cash.