Many people would ask me where to buy cheap souvenirs and goodies. I would always say anything other than in Okachimachi because I wasn't so familiar with the area. So for tonight, let me take you to a stroll in one of the shopping haven in Tokyo and see if I would recommend this place to anyone in the future.
Travelers in Tokyo would always mention this place in Ueno when it comes to shopping for souvenirs and a lot more. In Okachimachi, there's this famous shopping street where shoppers and foodies flock. It's where cheap finds are, and it's not just Japanese, there are also stores that sell goods from other countries.
AmeYoko is shorthand for Ameya Yokocho. This shopping street is always crowded but luckily, I came here in the evening and there were only a few shoppers and diners. Though I don't intend to shop in this area. Actually, this is kinda far from my home so I don't usually come here.
A memorable story I could share was when I arrived and all the people were walking in the same direction, entering AmeYoko of course, there's this one middle-aged woman near me. She was on the phone and apparently I, or we, could hear her being angry to the one she's talking with. I didn't want to be involved because she seemed so angry and her voice was getting louder and louder - almost shouting, so I slipped away as fast as I could, and as far as I could. Even when I was already far from her, I could hear her scream which made other people also surprised. I didn't look back of course. At times like this, my decision would always be to ignore: in and out the other ear.
In places like this, that scene was very normal. Perhaps that's the reason why I don't like to always go to places like this.
AmeYoko is Tokyo's Black Market. Apparently, after the war, these shops started to erupt, and they don't have business license. I'm not so sure if it's still the same til now because it's really so famous in Tokyo. You can read more about its history in Wikipedia.
As I've mentioned, this place is not just popular for shoppers but also for food adventurers. There are a wide variety of cuisine on the streets, some even has a long queue.
By the time I took photos, it was almost 8pm and most of the shops were already done for the day.
Walking around AmeYoko makes me think of Carbon Market in Cebu and Divisoria in Manila. Both shopping districts are in the Philippines, and oh boy they're chaotic - still people go to these areas because of the inexpensive buys. That's what I think AmeYoko is, it's the Japan version.
I didn't walk long here. Actually, I was just passing because I went to a mall around here. After my mission in that mall, I roamed around for a bit, in a dilemma if I should be eating around here or if I should just go back and have dinner at Shinjuku. I settled for the latter although there are restaurants under the train tracks, normal sight in Tokyo.
AmeYoko can be reached a few minutes walk from Ueno Station and its end is where the Okachimachi Station is located. I didn't go to the other end of AmeYoko because I would take the train from Okachimachi Station.
Short walk, but that's it. I still wouldn't advise someone to shop here although it's really cheap. Why? Aside from chaos, I'm not entirely sure if the branded items here are authentic. Maybe there are, maybe some aren't. If someone knows, maybe you can enlighten me.
Happy Wednesday! Don't forget to check out the #WednesdayWalk initiative by @tattoodjay.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.
