What is a Yokocho? Tokyo’s Culinary and Boozey Back Streets

So, we're here in Sangenjaya today and joining me is Greg from Tokyo Cheapo. Hello. So, what are we doing here today, Greg? We're here to have a look at a typical Tokyo yokocho. And what is a yokocho? It's an alley. Right, right. So, there are lots of ways you can eat and drink in Japan, however, a yokocho is definitely one of the more local ways, right? Yep. So, I hope you're hungry. Yeah, let's go and take a look. Yeah, let's go have a look. Yokochos are scattered all around Tokyo and if you just take one step beyond a main street, you can find these amazing back alleys filled with all sorts of small interesting shops. Not to mention, you can also dine and drink like a local and experience a different side of the big city. There is just so much fun to be discovered in these hidden back alleys. So, today, let us show you how you can enjoy drinking and eating at a typical Japanese yokocho. So, we have come to a yokocho near Sangenjaya Station. It's called the Sankaku Chitai because of the triangular shape. There are many shops to choose from, so just pick one you fancy on the day. They normally sell small portions of food, so you can always hop to a different shop after. Looks like they've got takoyaki and a few other things. Yeah, this is... What's taco again? Taco is octopus. So, I'm pretty sure that it looks like a cool shop. So, let's try this shop out. So, we decided to get takoyaki from this shop here because it had some pretty unique flavours like this one here, the sweet chilli. And of course, it had many other flavours like spring onion, lemon pepper, ponzu, salt, soy sauce and the no takoyaki sauce. So, let's try it out. Ah, looks delicious! What did I order? I don't know what you ordered. What did I get? The lemon sour? The lemon sour, yeah. So, after you get the food, you can either sit at the counter seats or sit at the table seats like we did here. And most of the shops in the Yokocho open from night time around 5pm. However, it gets more busy later on in the night when everyone gets off work. Okay, let's try one of these takoyakis. So, this is sweet chilli. Yeah, that's quite an unusual flavour. Usually, it's just kind of like a barbecue sauce and mayonnaise. So, it's got a bit of ginger on top. What's the green stuff? Nori, seaweed. Right, right. So, don't burn yourself. Let's give it a go. Itadakimasu. That's really good. It goes really well with the beer. I like how we're just sitting here and then everyone's just walking by while we're enjoying ourselves. Yokocho is also a great place to meet and talk with the locals, especially after a few drinks. So, Greg had to go home early. However, you can still enjoy the Yokocho by yourself. And this is the next shop I want to show you guys. So, let's go and have a seat. So, the next shop is a yakitori shop which sells different types of foods on skewers. They have lots of appetizers and skewers and, of course, drinks. The average price for a dish is around 300 yen, which is really cheap. And it allows you to try many, many things. We've got our first order. Sorry, I choked. She's so hungry and waiting for the meal, but it doesn't come. So, it's actually normal for you to come and eat at one of these shops yourself. And I've ordered quite a few things, so let me show you what I've got. Let's try this one. The lotus root. Oh, it's so good. It's got the lotus root and then it's got the mince filling inside. Now, let's try one of the yakitori. This one is liver. So, I know it doesn't sound so good, but it tastes really good. And I just really like this fun atmosphere after work. After a whole day's work, you can just come here and relax, drink something and eat a lot of little snacks, which is really cool. So, if you want to experience a more unique way of eating out in Tokyo, be sure to check out your nearest Yokocho and leave us some comments down below about your experiences there. Thank you for watching and we will see you next time. Bye.