Shinjuku, Tōkyō-to, Japan
Kagurazaka---Trendy district along a sloping street---
Kagurazaka is a fashionable shopping and dining district along a sloping street in Tokyo near Iidabashi Station. During the Edo Period, Kagurazaka was located just outside the outer moat of Edo Castle and gained prominence as an entertainment district with numerous geisha houses and restaurants. Some of the geisha houses survive in the district's narrow alleys to this date.
Kagurazaka also has a significant French presence due to two nearby French schools. A large variety of French cafes and restaurants can be found throughout the district, alongside a host of trendy and upscale Japanese restaurants and ryotei, many of which are tucked away along the sides streets that lead off of the main slope. The main road through Kagurazaka is closed to car traffic everyday from 12:00 to 13:00, and from 12:00 to 20:00 on Sundays and public holidays.
A short walk beyond the upper end of the Kagurazaka slope stands Akagi Jinja, a branch shrine of the one at Mount Akagi in Gunma Prefecture. The shrine was built during the Edo Period by a wealthy immigrant from Gunma. It was recently renovated into a unique, modern exposition of wood and glass designed by the famous Japanese architect Kuma Kengo, who also designed the Suntory Museum in Roppongi and the Asakusa Culture Tourist Info Center in Asakusa.
On the fourth Saturday and Sunday of July, the streets around Kagurazaka become packed with festival stands and revelers who come to celebrate the Kagurazaka Awa Odori Festival. The highlight is the entertaining Awa Odori dancing and music modeled after the famous festival in Tokushima.
◉Convenience store, supermarket
・7-Eleven Shinjuku Suidōchō Chuo Shop 2min on foot.
・LAWSON Shinjuku Suidōchō Shop 3min on foot.
・My Basket Edogawabashijizodori Shop(Supermarket) 2min on foot.
Open: 8am, Close: 12pm
・Maruetsu Edogawabashi Shop(Supermarket) 3min on foot.
Open: 9am, Close: 1am
Kagurazaka is an elegant neighborhood near Iidabashi station in Shinjuku ward well suited for strolling and sightseeing. Kagurazaka is distinguished by its close associations with Tokyo's literary history and culture. Particularly bustling on weekends and public holidays, the main street of Kagurazaka offers all sorts of shopping, dining and even entertainment in an unaffected, community-minded atmosphere.
Kagurazaka Attractions
Kagurazaka is characterized by specialty stores and boutique restaurants set in a quiet residential neighborhood. One recommended eatery is Chichukai Uomaru, a Mediterranean-style seafood fusion izakaya restaurant with an informal atmosphere. Kagurazaka is also set apart by its numerous ryotei inns-cum-restaurants that serve exquisite kaiseki cuisine renowned throughout the Kanto region.
These traditional old restaurants are hidden among the quaint little lanes that slope either side off the main Waseda-dori Avenue.
Kagurazaka has a considerable French community, with the nearby L'Institut Franco-Japonais de Tokyo, and partly explaining the large number of French restaurants to be found here.
---------Chichukai Uomaru----------
Address: Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Kagurazaka 3-2
Open every day. Mon-Fri 5 pm-5 am; Sat 3 pm-5 am; Sun 3 pm-11.30 pm
Price range: count on 3,500 to 4,000 Yen for a meal per person. Draft beer is 600 Yen.
----------Institut français du Japon – Tokyo-------------
15 Ichigaya-funagawara-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5206-2500
