Tokyo / Kagurazaka / Street

Kagurazaka's stone lanes

神楽坂の石畳の路地 かぐらざかのいしだたみのろじ

Hyogo Yokocho and Kakurenbo Yokocho — black fences, lanterns, cobbles, and the geisha quarter that still works.

EssentialHistory · Photogenic · Quiet · Late night · Walkable · Free

Off the main slope, the lanes of Kagurazaka keep the plan of the 1920s pleasure quarter: Hyogo Yokocho, a cobbled path between black wooden fences with a wisteria-hung ryokan at the end; Kakurenbo ("hide-and-seek") Yokocho, so named because a man could lose his pursuer there; Geisha Shinmichi, where the geisha houses stood and a handful of geisha still go to engagements in the evening. The ryotei behind the fences are the district's high-end restaurants, kaiseki in private rooms, booked days ahead; the lanes themselves cost nothing and are best at dusk, when the lanterns come on and the taxis start to arrive.

Don't miss

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A hand-drawn sketch for orientation — each place links to an exact map.
Tip
Do not photograph a geisha without asking; do wander into any lane — they are public streets.
Best time
Dusk to 9 pm.
Allow
60 min
Station
Iidabashi (JR / Tozai / Yurakucho / Namboku / Oedo lines), exit B3, 3 minutes uphill
Official site — hours, prices, closures
www.kagurazaka.in · Map

Appears in

In this area: Kagurazaka

Shrine Worth it

Akagi Shrine赤城神社

A 700-year-old shrine rebuilt by Kengo Kuma in glass and cypress, with a café and a Sunday market at the top of the hill.

30 min · Kagurazaka (Tozai line), exit 1, 1 minute
District Worth it

Dining in Kagurazaka神楽坂で食べる

Kaiseki behind black fences, French bistros from the institute's shadow, a hundred-year-old sweet shop, and pétanque on Sundays.

150 min · Iidabashi or Kagurazaka, the whole slope between them
Temple For a second visit

Zenkokuji Bishamonten善國寺 毘沙門天

The red temple halfway up the slope, guardian of the district since 1595, with tigers for lions and a night market of lanterns.

15 min · Iidabashi, exit B3, 5 minutes up the slope

All places — Kagurazaka →