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Yanaka Cemetery

The burial place of the last shogun still maintains a Shitamachi atomosphere in bustling Tokyo.

By The Taphotourist

Whether one passes on or remains is all the same. That you can take no one with you is the only difference.

― Tokugawa Ieyasu

Yanaka Cemetery is home to over 7,000 graves shaded by the often-visited cherry blossom trees that line the main path.

While the best season to see Yakana is undoubtedly April, a winter visit offers a new perspective and a quiet stroll.

Dating back to the Meiji era in the mid-to-late 1800s, Yanaka houses the family of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns of Japan in a section away from public view.

Previously the property of a Buddhist temple, in 1872 Meiji authorities set aside a portion of the area for use as a public cemetery to accommodate the growing popularity of Shinto funerals.

Today, thousands of visitors walk down Yanaka’s Sakura-dori in spring to take in the cherry blossoms and pay their respects.

Footnotes

Photos are free for personal use with credit to me, Alexandria Huff, aka The Taphotourist.

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FootNotes

Photos are free for personal use with credit to me, Alexandria Huff, aka The Taphotourist.

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