AMEYA YOKOCHO (AMEYOKO)

Taito-ku, Tokyo

Ameyoko - as the locals call it - was a former black market in the following years of World War II. Ameya Yokocho means candy alley, but Ame can also be short for America as it sold many American goods in the past. Today, this massive open-air market sells a variety of stuff from clothes, goods, cosmetics, souvenirs and fresh food for ridiculously low prices.

While you’re in the area, be sure to check out the following:

• Numerous sweets vendors such as fruits on a stick and Niki No Kashi Big Kan

• The surprisingly large amounts of drug stores for Japanese cosmetics

• The largest discount store Takeya.

Photo Credit: Japan Guide

How to get there

Ameya Yokocho runs all the way a long the railways from Ueno Station to Okachimachi Station on the JR Yamanote Line and Keihin-Tohoku Lines. It’s just right underneath the train tracks!