MangoVine - Ameya Yokocho - A Bargain Shopping Street in Ueno

14 May, 2009
Thursday

Ameya Yokocho or Ameyoko Arcade is a shopping street down the hill from Ueno station and close by to Ueno Park.

It's the place for bargains and a taste of the rough and readiness of the old Shitamachi, with shopkeepers unafraid of hawking their goods to passerbys. (Fresh meat sellers more than once tried to get us to buy a few slabs.)

Apparently, Ameyoko Arcade used to be a famous black market district after World War II and today sells a mix of cheap clothing, dried food products, exotic, imported items and tourist souvenirs.

There are restaurants throughout, ranging from the ubiquitous sushi-conveyor-belt restaurant (one of which we visited twice whilst in the area) to places with outdoor seating.

Not surprisingly, there are also stalls selling all kinds of snacks.

Dropping into one of the supermarkets in the area, we came across this charming product. I think they're a pair of edible buns. Anyone able to read the Japanese or know what these are?

Linh kept her eye on some Hello Kitty products when we were browsing through the Ameyoko Arcade. Apparently, some of the same tourist items in Ginza are sold cheaper here, so she was tempted to buy straight away. Other common products we saw included items for mobile phones such as decals and phone charms.

More Ameyoko Arcade photos on Flickr

This entry posted in : Japan. Shopping.

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Ameya Yokocho - A Bargain Shopping Street in Ueno

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