Ameyoko Shopping Street Designated a "Priority Area" in Tokyo's Tourism Support Program, With a Call for Hands-Free Sightseeing

Ameyoko Shopping Street, where more than 400 shops line up along roughly 500 meters between Ueno Station and Okachimachi Station, has been designated a priority area under a support program for the preservation of tourism resources run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs. It's familiar from news coverage of the year-end crowds, but in reality it's more like a "horizontal department store," a place where specialty shops dealing in unusual goods gather together. It has a history in which, right after World War II, about 400 soldiers repatriated from Manchuria formed a federation and regulated the opening of stalls, and it is also one of the few shopping streets that still conveys the form of a black market today. Two theories about the name have been handed down: the "Ameya Yokocho (candy sellers' alley)" theory and the "America Yokocho" theory. For travelers, hands-free sightseeing—leaving suitcases and other luggage in storage—is being proposed. Since it also helps ease congestion, visitors are encouraged to use their accommodations or luggage storage search sites. When shopping, enjoy chatting with the shop staff, but go easy on pushing for discounts.

Source: www.ameyoko.net