Omoide Yokocho Alley, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Omoide Yokocho sits just northwest of Shinjuku Station, tucked behind the tracks near the west exit. The nickname means "Memory Lane," though older Tokyoites still call it by its blunter postwar name, Shonben Yokocho. The alleys trace back to the black markets that sprang up here after 1945, when small stalls sold food and drink to laborers rebuilding the city. A fire in 1999 destroyed much of the district, and the current lanes were reconstructed to preserve the original scale and layout. Most of the stalls seat only a handful of customers and specialize in yakitori and kushiyaki, grilled skewers cooked over charcoal. Paper lanterns marked with shop names hang along the narrow walkways, a fixture of the district since its rebuilding.

Photo taken in March 2023.