Ameya Yokocho Arcade in Ueno is the best place in Tokyo for cheap food shopping. If you must, bring a friend or suitcase to help haul your goods back home.
Ameya Yokocho - image © Florentyna Leow
Ameya Yokocho Arcade, or ‘Ameyoko’ as it’s colloquially known, began life as a black market during the post-war years. These days, the market street running alongside the Yamanote Line tracks between Ueno and Okachimachi Stations attracts far more tourists - the kebab shops that have sprung up here and there can testify to that. Nevertheless, it’s still the place to go for cheap goods of all kinds.
Ameya Yokocho - image © Florentyna Leow
Granted, some of the prices are absurdly low. The quality of fresh seafood sold at some of the stalls might be slightly dubious - 8 skipjack fishes for JPY500 inspires less confidence than suspicion over its origins, especially when you notice that some of the eyes are clouded over. But the discounts on candies and biscuits at some of the shops can be quite stupendous, and Ameya Yokocho Arcade is always good for cheap shoes, jackets, and dried foodstuff.
Ameya Yokocho - image © Florentyna Leow
If you’re looking for fresh groceries and sundry supplies from the wider Asian region, head to the basement of the Ameyoko Center Building for the underground Asian market. It’s like stepping into a market in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia. Besides the usual assortment of spices, condiments, and sauces, you’ll find fresh pork belly, chicken feet, and cow lungs by the 10 kilograms; live turtles (don’t ask); prawns and unidentifiable crustaceans wriggling in ice water. It’s a cook’s paradise.
Ameya Yokocho - image © Florentyna Leow
An interesting time to visit Ameya Yokocho Arcade is during the last few days in December, when it seems like all of Tokyo decides to do all their shopping here. It’s all about stocking up on cheap ingredients for the making of osechi-ryori, traditional Japanese New Year foods. The crowds and atmosphere here are something to behold.
English name:
Ameya Yokocho
Japanese name:
アメヤ横丁
English address:
Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-0005
Japanese address:
〒110-0005 東京都台東区上野
Opening hours:
Varies by shop
Price:
Nearest Transport:
Train: 1-minute walk from the north exit of Okachimachi Station on the JR Yamanote line.
Train: 2-minute walk from the Shinobazu exit of Ueno Station.
Subway: 1-minute walk from exit A7 of Ueno-okachimachi Station on the Toei Oedo line, Ueno-hirokoji Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza line, and Naka-okachimachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya line.
Telephone:
+81-3-3832-5053 (Ameyoko Shopping Street Federation)
Website:
Official website (Japanese)
Near To Here:
Ameya Yokocho is located in Tokyo's Ueno district. See our complete list of things to do in Ueno, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.
Where Is This Place Located?
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