Ameyoko Shopping Street Designated a "Priority Area" in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Tourism Resource Preservation Support Project

Ameyoko Shopping Street, where more than 400 shops line about 500 meters between Ueno Station and Okachimachi Station, has been designated as a priority area of the FY Reiwa 6 "Support Project for the Preservation of Tourism Resources" run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs. Ameyoko originated as a black market right after World War II, and it is one of the very few shopping streets with a history in which about 400 soldiers repatriated from Manchuria formed a federation and regulated the opening of shops. There are two theories about the origin of the name: the "Ameya Yokocho (Candy Shop Alley)" theory and the "America Yokocho (America Alley)" theory. It is famous for its year-end crowds, but it is also a "horizontal department store" where specialty shops dealing in rare and valuable items gather, and if you strike up a conversation with the staff, you'll be amazed at their wealth of knowledge. Travelers are also being encouraged to enjoy "hands-free sightseeing" by checking their luggage. It's an initiative that helps ease congestion as well, and storage locations can be searched on the ecbo cloak website.

Source: www.ameyoko.net