The Market Under the Tracks

Ameya Yokocho — Ameyoko to anyone who actually shops there — is a four-hundred-meter-long market crammed under the Yamanote line between Ueno and Okachimachi. Open-air stalls. Live seafood. Spices. Sneakers. Whisky. Mochi. The thing your hotel breakfast is pretending to be.

Why the Hotel Loses

Hotel buffets are designed to feed the maximum number of people the minimum offensive meal. Ameyoko is designed to feed Tokyo office workers on the way home. Different incentives produce different food. One of them is excellent. One of them is fine.

The Dusk Move

The film catches the market right when the sun drops behind the Yamanote viaduct and the neon kicks on. The 5-7 PM window is the busiest, the most chaotic, and the most rewarding. The vendors are calling out, the locals are arguing prices, the smell of grilled skewers is doing the marketing.

What to Actually Buy

The grilled scallops. The skewers from the stall with no English sign and no menu. The seasonal fruit — strawberries in spring, grapes in autumn, persimmons in early winter. Whatever the line is for. Don’t overthink it.

Getting There

Ueno Station, south exit. Or Okachimachi Station, north exit. Walk between the two and you’ve walked the whole market. Cash. Most stalls won’t take cards. Bring an empty stomach and small bills.