Tokyo · Mitaka and Kichijoji

Harmonica Yokocho

Harmonica Yokocho (ハモニカ横丁) is a network of narrow alleys opposite the North Exit of Kichijoji Station. Its roots are in a market that grew up opposite the station in 1945, after the war, and according to the Musashino tourism site it has more than a hundred shops today. The name is unofficial: it stuck to the alleys because the narrow shopfronts, one next to the other, look like the holes of a harmonica. The name is attributed to the writer Katsuichiro Kamei, but there are several versions of who invented it.

By day the alleys are a small market: dried fish, sweets, fruit and long-established shops, such as the dried fish shop Nagisaya from 1947 and the jeans shop Western from 1958. From the late 90s, bars, cafes and small restaurants run by young owners opened beside them, and in the evening the place fills with beer bars, gyoza and sushi around small counters.

Good to know

Most places are very small, and some accept only cash. Keep cash in your pocket.
The food and alcohol in the alleys are not kosher.

What is nearby

Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Harmonica Yokocho.

Here
Harmonica Yokocho
1 min
Kichijoji Satou (Genso Maru Menchi Katsu) Food
A butcher shop from 1974 that sells round menchi-katsu of Japanese beef and onion, fried on the spot. 350 yen each, and from 5 pieces 330 yen each. Cash only.
¥350 · ≈ $210:00 to 19:30, until sold out. The menchi-katsu is sold from 10:30. Closed only at the start of the year.Maps Source
1 min
Ozasa Shopping
A tiny Japanese sweets shop at the same address as Satou. It sells monaka, a rice wafer filled with bean paste, in red and white versions, and yokan, a bean jelly sold only at the shop itself.
Currently 10:00 to 18:30 (usually until 19:30). Closed on Tuesdays. Open on 3.11.2026 and closed on 4.11.2026.Maps Source
1 min
Kichijoji Sun Road Street
A covered shopping street 300 meters long with a glass roof, running north from the station. Chain stores alongside long-established family shops, and comfortable on a rainy day too.
Open all year, hours vary by shop.Maps Source
~2 min
Kichijoji Nakamichi-dori Street
A brick-paved shopping street about 540 meters long, west of the station, with small shops, cafes and clothing stores, and two neighborhood parks at its end.
Hours vary by shop.Maps Source
~5 min
Harukiya Kichijoji Food
A branch of the long-established chuka soba restaurant from Ogikubo: ramen in a clear soy broth. On the chain's menu a basic bowl is 950 yen, and the chain notes that the price may vary between branches. 18 seats, payment by card or digital payment.
11:00 to 21:20 (last order 21:00). Closed on Wednesdays.Maps Source
~5 min
Kichijoji Loft Shopping
A department store of stationery, homeware and gifts on five floors. On floor 4 a washi paper shop, and on floor 5 Muji. Tax-free counter on floors 1 to 4.
10:30 to 20:00. Floor 5 until 21:00.Maps Source
~7 min
LIGHT UP COFFEE Kichijoji Cafe
A specialty coffee roastery whose first branch opened here in 2014 and was renovated in 2022. 10 seats, and takeaway is available. Bags of beans to buy from 1,800 yen.
9:00 to 19:00.Maps Source
~8 min
Kichijoji Petit Mura Shopping
A small complex built like a village from a picture book, with a cat cafe (paid entry), a tea house and small gift shops. You can wander outside and go into the shops only.
Hours vary by shop, see the complex's website.Maps Source

More in Mitaka and Kichijoji

Appears in: Ghibli Museum, Kichijoji and Shimokitazawa: the calm west side

Full page for Harmonica Yokocho