Old Town Tokyo: Shinagawa-Juku Walking Tour

based on 20 reviews

Duration:3 hours (approx.)
Location: Tokyo, Kanto

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Be transported back to the Edo period (1603-1868) in this three hour guided tour around Shinagawa's old town. This tour is good for people travelling to/from Haneda Airport, or people interested in seeing a historical and peaceful part of Tokyo.
Kita-Shinagawa used to be a thriving post-town, or checkpoint station on the Old Tokaido Road, an ancient road that connected Tokyo with Kyoto. Weary travellers would stop there for rest, replenishment and entertainment. Although most of Shinagawa is now an extremely modern business district, this old town area maintains its historic charm and you can see many original buildings and stores with a history dating back hundreds of years. The area is also full of shrines, each with its own story to tell. If you want to explore a historical part of Tokyo without being bothered by other tourists, this tour is ideal, as this area is not at all touristic.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1.
Back in the Edo times, the shore near Shinagawa was used for fishing, and a small but prosperous fishing village sprang up. Although the area is no longer used for commercial fishing, there are still many nostalgic traces left to be seen. The juxtaposition between the skyscrapers in the background and the old houseboats docked in the water offers a perfect glimpse into Tokyo’s motto “where old meets new”. These days, the harbour houses "yakatabune", or recreation boats used for eating/drinking, along with the last remaining fishing boats. Only known to the locals are some hidden areas of houses undestroyed by the local development. The guide will show you into little alleyways lined with green hedges and great old homes where you can imagine what life used to be like in the fishing village.
2.
The Kyu-Tokaido Road was the first stop for travellers moving from Tokyo to Kyoto. It was a lively place full of inns and bustling with shops to service all their needs. It was one of the few areas to survive the fires and air raids that ravaged other parts of Tokyo in the past. These days many of these shops still remain – venture down the street and discover a green tea shop with over 100 years history, or a quaint old rice cracker shop. Back in the 1800s, travellers from Kyoto would reach this final stop along the road dirty, weary and in need of sprucing up. Back in the Edo times the quality of ones shoes was very important, so there were 10 shoe shops dotted along this road back in the day. These days the need for handmade traditional footwear has diminished, and now 'Maruya', a family owned sandal shop dating back 200 years, is the last one remaining. If you wish to buy a pair of geta or zori sandals, they offer an immense selection of patterns and will tailor the straps to fit your feet.
3.
Branching off the main Tokaido Road are many smaller streets and alleyways with local temples hidden away and quaint old houses covered in greenery. You can even see a water well in the middle of a residential lane, which was used in the past to bring water to the local houses. Most other such pumps have been destroyed long ago.
4.
After exploring the Kyu-Tokaido Road, stroll down Shinbaba Street and take a look at the Shotokuji Temple. It’s especially pretty in Autumn as it’s surrounded by maple trees. This temple has quite an usual fence, made of an old brick wall taken from a nearby factory.
5.
Established in 709, Ebara Shrine is worshipped as the place of the dragon god where people come to pray for rain. Located next to the Meguro River, it’s said that in 1062 they took water from the nearby river to offer to the god, praying for victory in a battle with Northern Japan. It’s home to a yearly festival held in the rainy season (June) where Mikoshi (floats) are carried through the water. The carvings on this shrine are very intricate and unique and worth a look for those interested in art. The best time to see Ebara is in spring when it’s surrounded by cherry blossoms blooming along the river.
6.
Shinagawa Shrine was founded in 1187 as a guardian of the nearby post-town. It is home to a “fujizuka”, or a mini-Fuji, built for worshippers who didn’t have the strength or money to climb the actual Mt. Fuji. It is actually the largest fujizuka in Japan, standing at 15m high. It’s made from rocks taken from the base of Mt. Fuji. This shrine also has many separate buildings, lots of red torii gates and a fountain called Hitotsubu-manbai-no-izumi where it is said that if you wash your coins in it, your fortunes will increase. +Stop for some refreshment in an old private house which has been turned into a small tea cafe. They offer homemade roasted teas, as well as green tea and many traditional seasonal Japanese daifuku sweets. *If you don’t want to stop here, the guide can take you somewhere else instead.

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Posted By : Jenean M
It was a wet, rainy day in Tokyo but we enjoyed our walking tour anyway. We saw several shrines & temples. All along the way our excellent guide Eriko explained the history and culture of the area of kita shinagawa. We stopped in a kimono shop, a boat tour business on the river, and a local shop that sold all kinds of Japanese crackers (arare). Despite the awful weather we had a great adventure. Highly recommend this tour as something different than the typical tourist tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-06-18 00:56:01

Posted By : G811SRedwardf
Great low-key tour with a knowledgeable guide (Machiko). This felt off the beaten path and away from other tourists. We learned much about the local history and used our imaginations to envision the past. Easy walking tour, perfect for first day in Tokyo!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-01 08:28:37

Posted By : elizabethwB3799LG
We really enjoyed this tour. We saw an area that was off the beaten path now, around the Tokaido, yet very important in the history of Tokyo.It was wonderful to see several small shrines and temples that were not at all crowded, and to learn how they fit into modern Japanese life. Also enjoyed seeing the small independent businesses that still exist, such as the kimono store and the tea cafe. Our guide, Hitomi, was friendly , knowledgeable, and fun. She gave us a nice perspective of how the city and people have evolved over time.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-05 07:57:02

Posted By : WellTravelledAussie2
We only had one full day in Tokyo. We found this walking tour and we are so pleased we decided to go on it.
Our guide, Fumiko, was an absolute delight! Spoke good English and most informative.
This is an ideal way to be introduced to Tokyo. It's a quiet area easy to get to by subway. Quaint houses and shops selling all kinds of goods mainly to the locals. Visited several of these shops, sipping local tea and finishing off in a quaint tea house with local delicacies. We visited many shrines all within easy walking distance of each other. Peaceful and clean, most people riding bicycles.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-30 22:02:43

Posted By : Nomad25395590384
The tour was amazing. Our tour guide, Eriko-san was very nice. I was happy to know some Japanese history from Shinagawa! You should join this tour!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-13 07:31:20

Posted By : Venture26053009391
Great tour route and amazing tour guide!
We all enjoyed very much exploring Shinagawa-shuku area and we would love to join another tour again in future.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-13 06:25:32

Posted By : 908brookey
My partner and I did a walking tour on a Sunday with Fumiko. Fumiko was so friendly, took lots of photos of us and gave us advice on where else we could visit. It was really cool to do a tour of a part of the city that wasn’t touristy. It’s a beautiful area with a cool history. We saw many shrines and temples. Just fyi, nothing much opens in Japan until 10am so you’ll find a morning walk quiet, and on a Sunday much was closed so there was a few places we couldn’t go into.
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Posted On : 2024-03-11 23:30:50

Posted By : W3466QWrichardo
We had a lot of fun with Eriko as we explored Shinagawa together and learned about the juxtaposition of new and old. We feel as though we made a new friend in Japan and hope to see her again one day!
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Posted On : 2024-02-20 20:56:30

Posted By : leslie h
Hitomi is a wonderful guide and the tour is very informative. Apart from the historical nuggets and seeing the origins of the business district it was great just to spend time with her and learn about life in modern day Japan.

She has a charming manner and made it great fun.

Highly recommend.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-23 01:06:31

Posted By : steveoP8565UR
We arrived in Tokyo and found this small group tour an excellent way to orientate ourselves in the big city. Our guide Yoshimi was great and took us along interesting backstreets to find places we would not have found ourselves- little shops and shrines. Overall a fantastic start to discovering Tokyo.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-18 22:46:18