Yanaka Ginza is where to become for every type of exciting shopping experiences. This shopping street is located in Tokyo, Japan, and holds one unique food adventure. A brief history it holds has forever shaped the future of selling.
Yanka Ginza is home to multiple cats who have made this little shopping street their house. Doing this has established hype about the cheap adorable cat-themed food that vendors sell. The majority of the shops located on the strip are all cat-themed. Based on Navitime Travel, Yanaka Ginza has from drinks to cookies as well as meat dishes. Most of the dishes center around the theme from the famous herds living amongst the streets!
Eating in Meow Style
Not only is Yanaka Ginza noted for its fun feline friends living there, but it is also known for that edible cat-themed treats! One specific shop called Manekiya serves FukuNyanYaki shaped like their very own cat design. FukuNyanYaki is really a red bean paste-filled treat with many different flavors, such as beef stew and cream cheese pizza. Another shop, referred to as Cafe Nekoemon, has an activity where one can decorate the things they call a “beckoning cat” doll on the cup of tea!
- Activity cost: 1,620 yen (14.83 $ $ $ $)
- Cost of cat-themed cake: 440 yen (4.03 $ $ $ $)
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Prices For Cat Sweets
Many of the cat-themed treats present in Yanaka Ginza are pretty cheap and are certain to be tasty! A number of the treats renowned for not only the adorable cat-like features, however the prices as well are:
- Yanaka Shipoya: they are cat-themed donut sticks that cost around 130 Yen (1.19 US Dollars).
- Taiyaki: this is a bean paste cookie that comes in several flavors, typically in the shape of a fish; these have been in the shape of the lucky cat! They cost 100-200 Yen (1-2 $ $ $ $).
- Cat Face Cakes: A little local shop sells cakes which have faces iced onto these to look like cats! These sell for about 440 yen (4.03 $ $ $ $).
These are just a few of many cat-themed goodies inside the streets of Yanaka Ginza!
Shichifuku Neko, AKA '7 Lucky Cats'
Shichifuku Neko, also referred to as “7 lucky cats,” live throughout Yanaka Ginza. These seven fake cats are important to the locals and very interesting to the tourists. In '09 students from Tokyo University of the Arts created seven wooden cats to place round the cat-themed shopping strip. These cats represent a symbol for Yanaka Ginza and help tourists understand the good reputation for this beloved street. It would not be uncommon to bump into these cats when walking the street. Some take presctiption roofs, while others are on the ground.
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It wasn't Always All Cats
Before cats started to make Yanaka Ginza their house, it was more of a grocery street. Most of the shops did not have a particular theme. Multiple families would set out in the pub to sell their homemade goods to create enough money to give their children. It had been much more of a local market than the usual tourist attraction like it has become. It had been always considered to be beautiful and also have the most picturesque sunsets.
Once cats started to repopulate in the streets, the locals embraced their presence rather than exterminating them. Then Yanaka Ginza street market slowly became a hot topic! Suggestions to flourish sales within this small community took off, and the idea of the seven lucky cats soared. Word spread as people from all around began to come to shop the adorable cat-themed street. Tourists from different countries, locals from other towns, everyone loved the cats!
Although most items which sell in the pub are cat-themed, not all of them are. Some shops decided to stay with their old roots and sell what they used to. Shops throughout the street seem to do good cat-themed or otherwise. Some shops you will find serve squid, others sell fabrics. The list could go on for miles using what can be obtained to locals and tourists. Yanaka Ginza is considered to be just one of two Cat Towns in Tokyo! There is not much that curious individuals can't find in this particular small shopping street. As of 2022, the Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street Promotion Association has estimated about 60 shops inhabiting the 170-meter long street.
How To obtain There
Amidst the busy capital of Japan, you will find the street noted for its cat-themed products. Yanaka Ginza, located in Tokyo, is among the most famous streets for tourists and residents to look on! It is simple to identify, and also the directions take you straight to the cats! The Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street Promotion Association gives excellent directions for this famous place.
By train, it is just a 5-minute walk from areas such as JR Yamanote Line and Joban Line. Although there is no parking around the shop street, you can park your automobile in the coin parking area nearby! The address is 3-13-1 Yanaka, Taito-Ku, Tokyo 110-0001, and it is no problem finding!
