Ameyoko Shopping Street

Ameyoko began after World War II as a black market near Ueno Station. According to the merchants' association, unlike other markets in Tokyo that were controlled by gangs, here about 400 discharged soldiers who had returned from Manchuria organized a cooperative that set rules for the market. There are two explanations for the name: 'candy alley' (ame), after the many candy stalls that were here, or 'America alley', after the goods from the American army bases.

Today it is a street of about 500 meters along the JR tracks, between Ueno Station and Okachimachi Station, with 400 to 500 shops and stalls, depending on the source. They sell fish and seafood, cut fruit on a stick, sweets and snacks, cosmetics, clothes, and street food from all over Asia. The vendors call out to shoppers, and some stalls still sell by 'shouting sale', where the price drops and the bag fills up as it goes.

The American history is still here too: army surplus shops that opened in the 50s, such as Nakata Shoten, and shops selling sukajan, embroidered satin jackets that began as a souvenir for American soldiers in Yokosuka. Under the tracks themselves there is a covered passage of small shops, and at the north end stands the triangular Ameyoko Center Building. In the last days of December Ameyoko is where Tokyo comes to buy fish and food for the New Year, and the news shows film the crowds every year.