Ameyoko, Ueno

Background

Ameyoko is a living specimen of Tokyo's post-war history. After the Great Tokyo Air Raid, unlicensed black-market stalls sprang up under the railway viaduct between Ueno and Okachimachi; in 1946 the businessman Kondō Hirokichi built the 'Kondō Market', bringing 80 traders under one roof and putting the area on a proper footing. Two explanations for the name coexist: 'Ameya Yokochō' (traders from northern Kantō sold rice and vegetables in Ueno and bought sweets on the way home, so sweet shops — ameya — multiplied) and 'America Yokochō' (goods released by the US military); both distil the survival wisdom of years of scarcity. From the 1980s fish shops grew fewer, replaced by sports goods, drugstores and Asian grocery shops; today many shop assistants are Chinese, Chinese sales calls ring out one after another, and the shitamachi 'chaos' lives on in a new form.

Local customs

• The soul of Ameyoko is 'yobikomi' (calling out to customers) and 'tatakiuri' (selling by the heap): cuts of tuna and salmon 'all you can take for a thousand yen', dried goods and snacks 'fill a bag for a thousand yen' — the shop assistants' patter is a show in itself. Locals buy fish from shops they know well, valuing 'reading the mood and tasting a piece'
• at year's end (28–30 December) comes the nationally famous 'New Year shopping battle', when about 2 million people pour in to buy New Year food. Shitamachi warmth shows in the 'omake' (freebie) culture — when regulars pay, shopkeepers often smile and slip in an extra bunch of spring onions or a rice cake.

Religion & beliefs

• Ameyoko itself is a shopping street with no religious sites, so no worship etiquette is needed. But it's right next to Kan'ei-ji and Kiyomizu Kannon-dō in Ueno Park
• if you stop to pray, follow temple etiquette (purify your hands, put your palms together, speak softly). At the year-end shopping peak the street is extremely crowded, so go with the flow in one direction — don't walk against it or stop in the middle of the road for photos. Some old shops have shrines to 'Ebisu', god of prosperous business
• ask the shopkeeper before photographing them, and if you see a shopkeeper praying or offering incense, step back and keep quiet rather than gawking.

Travel tips

• It's right outside the 'Hirokōji exit' of JR Ueno Station or the north exit of Okachimachi Station, running about 500 m north–south under the viaduct. Most shops open 10:00–20:00 (restaurants later), and it's liveliest and most crowded at year's end, 28–30 December. Seafood, dried goods and fruit are best bought in the morning
• browse cosmetics and vintage clothes at leisure in the afternoon. Cash and cards are both accepted, though some small shops take cash only. For a 'hiru-nomi', the izakaya under the viaduct open at noon. Nearby you can visit Ueno Park (museums, zoo) and Okachimachi's jewellery district. Note: keep valuables close and beware of pickpockets at peak times
• put rubbish in the bins outside shops rather than dropping it.

Maps & transport notes

• Paste '上野アメ横' or the official old name 'アメヤ横丁' into Google Maps to find it
• for stations search '上野駅' and '御徒町駅'. The English 'Ameyoko' / 'Ueno Ameyoko' also work. For the shopping building search 'アメ横センタービル'. Note that 'Ameyoko' refers only to this street in Ueno
• Osaka has 'Amemura' (America-mura), so add 'Ueno' to avoid confusion.