Yanaka Ginza

This guide to Yanaka Ginza in Tokyo traces the lane's rebuilding after World War Two, its rare escape from both the 1923 Kanto earthquake and the wartime air raids, and the era when real strays ruled the street, climbing a stone stairway at dusk that later earned the name Yuyake Dandan. It follows the shopping association's request to local art students for a symbol of the street's own, and what those students remembered when they carved seven small wooden cats in 2009. It leaves you scanning the rooftops and doorways for the one watching you right now.