Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane / Yakitori Alley)

A fantastic place to come to experience the less pristine side of Tokyo. This is the last vestige of the ramshackle immediate post-war period in Tokyo and remains in danger of being closed down to be developed into more department stores in this very central location.

This listing is not for an individual restaurant but for the alleyway which houses numerous yakitori miniature restaurants, a pedestrian lane on the west side of vast Shinjuku station. Guidebooks often publish handy tips on the names of the different types of yakitori (I have the Tokyo Time Out guide and it is very helpful) because some include offal and other meats etc which may not be to every diner's taste.

You find Yakitori Alley - the name isn't on any map, it's an informal tag - by walking along the west side of Shinjuku station, passing the big bus stop outside, hugging the Odakyu department store and curling to the right down the hill, just before reaching the elevated rail line. The best way to find anywhere in Tokyo however is to learn how to ask for help, and ask at the many koban (police boxes) across the city.

The barbecues emit clouds of delicious smelling smoke as the various meats on mini bamboo skewers (flavoured with either a sweet sauce, or salted). Beer is fresh and tasty, the food is hot and delicious and overall it is a pretty cheap night out. Beware however of expensive cover charges which are often not charged to Japanese diners, but are a "tourist-tax". It is a good idea to come early and wander up and down to soak in the atmosphere and select the place that seems friendliest.