A Stroll to Reminisce About Natsume Soseki: Things to Do in Shinjuku

Natsume Soseki once lived in Kagurazaka, and many shrines, temples, and restaurants from his novels appear there. Recently, we started offering Geisha experience tours at Shimakin, Kagurazaka’s oldest restaurant, established in 1872 (Meiji 2), which is also featured in Soseki’s novels. Shimakin was Japan’s fourth restaurant to open, specializing in beef hot pot. During the Edo period, eating beef was prohibited, making beef hot pot a symbol of the end of the samurai era and the advent of modernization.

Nearby, you’ll find the Yayoi Kusama Museum, the Kigumi Museum, and Anahachimangu Shrine, closely associated with Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth shogun of the Edo period, famous for the “Takadanobaba Yabusame” horseback archery event. While visiting the “Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum,” it’s worth exploring nearby facilities.

On your way from Kagurazaka Station to the “Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum,” you’ll pass “Sakanaya Sanshiro,” a long-established fishmonger founded in 1732. It’s one of Japan’s oldest fishmongers, boasting a rich history. The name “Sanshiro” in Soseki’s novel “Sanshiro” is said to have been inspired by Tanaka Sanshiro, who lived nearby. Still, there’s also a theory it came from the nearby “Sakaya Sanshiro.” Reflecting on such connections, walking the path Soseki once walked can be a fascinating experience.

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