Shinagawa Tour | Omakase Tour

Old Town Tokyo: Shinagawa-Juku Walking Tour

Three hours on foot through Shinagawa's old post-town: Edo-era shrines, a fishing harbour, and a tea stop in a converted home.

Overview

Shinagawa-juku was the first of the fifty-three post-towns on the old Tokaido road out of Edo, a thriving stop where merchants, samurai, and pilgrims rested before the long route to Kyoto. While modern Shinagawa has turned into a glass-and-steel business district, the neighbourhood of Kita-Shinagawa has kept its old shape: wooden storefronts, narrow lanes, a working harbour, and a string of shrines and temples still tended by the community.

On this three-hour private walk your English-speaking guide leads you along the old road end to end at an unhurried pace. The route begins at the Shinagawa-ura fishing harbour, where yakatabune pleasure boats lie tied against a backdrop of skyscrapers, then follows the Kyu-Tokaido past a hundred-year-old tea shop, a small rice-cracker store, and Maruya, the last family-run maker of geta and zori sandals on the road. Along the way the guide turns into side alleys for a working water well, the quiet Hozen-ji Temple, and Ebara Shrine, where the dragon god of rain has been worshipped since 709.

The walk closes at Shinagawa Shrine, home to the tallest fujizuka in Japan: a fifteen-metre miniature Mt. Fuji built from rocks carried down from the real mountain, once climbed as a substitute pilgrimage for those unable to reach the summit. A short pause for tea and seasonal sweets in Chabako, a former private house turned small tea cafe, lets the morning settle before the return train. The route sees almost no tourists and pairs beautifully with a Haneda Airport layover, before or after the flight.

Details

❖ Kita-Shinagawa Station

10 min

Meet your guide at the Keikyu Line ticket gate.

❖ Shinagawa-ura Funadamari

15 min

Back in the Edo period the shore near Shinagawa was used for fishing, and a small but prosperous fishing village grew up along it. Today the harbour holds yakatabune (covered pleasure boats used for dining on the water) alongside the last remaining fishing boats, set against the skyscrapers that now stand behind. Your guide then turns into hidden residential lanes that escaped post-war redevelopment: green-hedged homes and alleyways that still let you picture the old fishing village.

❖ Kyu-Tokaido Road

1 h

The Kyu-Tokaido was the first stop for travellers moving from Tokyo to Kyoto, a lively road full of inns and shops serving their every need. It was one of the few areas of Tokyo to survive the fires and air raids of the past, so the same shops still trade from the same buildings today: a green-tea shop over a hundred years old, a small rice-cracker store, and Maruya, a family-run maker of geta and zori sandals on the road for two centuries. Branching off the main road are smaller streets and alleys with local temples tucked behind them.

Hozen-ji Temple and hidden alleyways

Narrower alleys lead to Hozen-ji Temple and quaint old houses covered in greenery. A working water well still stands in the middle of a residential lane, a rare surviving trace of how water used to reach the local homes.

Shinagawa-shuku Koryukan (community lounge)

A free community rest area. The ground floor stocks Showa-era candy; the upper floor runs a small exhibition on the history and culture of the district.

❖ Shotokuji Temple

5 min

A brief stop on Shinbaba Street. The temple is ringed by maple trees (best seen in autumn) and its perimeter wall is an unusual detail: it was made from an old brick wall recycled from a nearby factory.

❖ Ebara Shrine

10 min

Established in 709 and worshipped as the place of the dragon god of rain. In 1062 water was drawn from the neighbouring Meguro River here as an offering in a prayer for victory in a battle with northern Japan. The shrine hosts a yearly festival during the rainy season (June) in which mikoshi (portable shrines) are carried through the water. The carvings on the main hall are unusually intricate. In spring the riverbank next to the shrine fills with cherry blossom.

❖ Chabako Tea Shop

25 min

Stop for refreshment in this old private house turned small tea cafe. They serve homemade roasted teas, green tea, and seasonal Japanese daifuku sweets. Chabako opens Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; on other days your guide takes you to Beans Station, a nearby home-roasted coffee shop, instead.

❖ Shinagawa Shrine

35 min

Shinagawa Shrine was founded in 1187 as the guardian of the post-town. It is home to a fujizuka, a miniature Mt. Fuji built for worshippers who could not make the climb of the real mountain. Standing 15 metres tall, it is the largest fujizuka in Japan and is made from rocks carried down from the base of Mt. Fuji. The grounds hold several sub-shrines, long lines of red torii gates, and a fountain called Hitotsubu-manbai-no-izumi, where coins washed in the water are said to multiply in fortune.

❖ Shimbamba Station

5 min

Your guide walks you to Shimbamba Station, one stop from Shinagawa Station on the Keikyu Line. From there you can easily reach anywhere in the city or head directly to Haneda Airport.

OPTIONS

Notes

The tour itinerary can be adjusted to match your preferences.
The tour is conducted entirely on foot; comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Chabako tea shop is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only. On other days we stop at Beans Station, a nearby home-roasting coffee shop, instead.
If you book this tour before or after a Haneda Airport transfer, the guide can help you store your luggage in station lockers. Please let us know in advance.
Tour start times can be adjusted on request, subject to guide availability.