Tokyo / Roppongi & Azabu / District

Azabu-Juban shopping street

麻布十番商店街 あざぶじゅうばんしょうてんがい

A village high street between the embassies — taiyaki since 1909, a soba house since 1789, and a public bath.

Worth itLocal life · Food · Walkable · Quiet · History

Downhill from Roppongi Hills, Azabu-Juban is a neighbourhood shopping street that the money around it never managed to spoil: Naniwaya, which has made taiyaki (fish-shaped bean-paste cakes) since 1909 and inspired a famous children's song; Sarashina Horii, where soba has been served since 1789; a rice-cracker shop, a tofu shop, a bath-house, and the small restaurants — Italian, French, sushi — that feed the embassy staff and the old families. On the last weekend of August the street holds a festival that the whole of Tokyo comes to. The Juban Inari shrine at the top has frogs, for a reason the priest will tell you.

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A hand-drawn sketch for orientation — each place links to an exact map.
Tip
Naniwaya's taiyaki are made to order; queue, order, and walk the street while they bake.
Best time
Afternoon; August festival weekend.
Allow
75 min
Station
Azabu-juban (Namboku / Oedo lines), exit 4
Official site — hours, prices, closures
www.azabujuban.or.jp · Map

Appears in

In this area: Roppongi & Azabu

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