Gaia Series 13 : Yokocho, A Small Alley Lined With Restaurants & Bars At Shinjuku And Shibuya

This week, we focus on yokocho or traditional alleys lined with small bars, restaurants and izakayas. Ebisu, Tokyo is known as a stylish neighbourhood and the Ebisu Yokocho, a 
restaurant district designed to resemble a yokocho or food alley has gained popularity in 
recent years. Many of the yokocho in Tokyo are believed to be remnants of the black markets that opened after the war. Over time, they have become nostalgic places where people can gather and enjoy each other’s company. Examples include Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku 
Harmonica Yokocho and Kichijoji.   

What makes a yokocho so special is that one’s age, gender or job does not matter. Everyone just wants to enjoy the atmosphere. The way one interacts with people here is also different from regular restaurants. At yokocho, you eat together and have a good time and hope to see each other again someday.  

A new and innovative yokocho-inspired restaurant district opened this year in Kabukicho, 
Shinjuku, Tokyo. The Shinjuku Kabuki Hall Kabuki Yokocho is located on the second floor of the newly built Tokyu Kabukicho Tower. The Kabuki Hall has 10 concepts and the theme is “Every day is a festival”. It also has a Showa-era vibe from the good old days. It is 
managed by Hamakura-Style Store Production president Yoshinori Hamakura. Based in Yurakucho, Tokyo, the company was set up in 2008 and now has 210 employees.

Mr Hamakura is known as a revolutionary hero of the izakaya industry. The Ebisu Yokocho was the first one he developed. There are 19 restaurants lined up along an alley that is about 50m long. He then went on to work in places like Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ueno. For example, Shibuya Yokocho, the restaurant district near Shibuya Station in Tokyo, opened in 2020 and has 19 shops.  
 
Kabukicho, Shinjuku is one of Japan’s most famous districts with many adult entertainment businesses. Mr Hamakura wanted the new yokocho to overturn its image and attract many people. Before the yokocho in Kabukicho, Shinjuku opened, Hamakura-Style Store 
Production’s customer service training manager Yasutaka Yamada conducted a workshop for some of the key staff of Mr Hamakura’s new restaurant in Shinjuku Kabuku Hall Kabuki Yokocho. A uniform was also made for the restaurant’s staff. 
 
Mr Hamakura has another place near Shinjuku Station, Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai. He asked the head chef and retail development director Ryoichi Ito to create 20 new menu items for the opening of the new yokocho in Kabukicho. Two of the dishes are lamb kakuni and lamb mapo tofu with sheep milk cheese or Roquefort blue cheese.  

Shinjuku Kabuki Hall Kabuki Yokocho, on the second floor of Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, spans about 1,000 square metres. It has 10 restaurants that serve regional specialties from all over Japan.  
 
Yet another yokocho is the Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It is located by the west exit of Shinjuku Station. Omoide Yokocho started out as an open-air market that formed in the burnt-out ruins left behind by the war. About 80 establishments, most of which serve motsuyaki and yakitori, crowd together here. It gained popularity on social media and has 
become an offbeat tourist spot in Japan. Meanwhile, Shibuya Nonbei Yokocho in Tokyo has a Showa-era atmosphere. An owner from this yokocho is Koichiro Mikuriya. Kichijoji is a bustling yokocho in Tokyo, while Harmonica Yokocho’s stores are lined up in a way to 
resemble the mouthpiece of a harmonica.  
 
Mr Mikuriya has visited a few yokocho to get ideas on making Shibuya a more interesting city. For example, he checked out the Kamiyacho in Minato City, Tokyo. He aims to 
revitalise Shibuya, while preserving yokocho from the good old days.   
 

 
 
Tips: 
 
1)    Yokocho are an ideal place for making new friends while eating and drinking
2)    Many yokocho have a Showa-era atmosphere and serve traditional Japanese dishes

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