Omoide Yokocho

A smoky alley of yakitori stalls and tiny counter restaurants near the west exit of Shinjuku Station, sometimes called Memory Lane.

Why visit

It is fast, cheap and full of locals — grilled skewers, beer and a proper Showa-era buzz.

How to get there

Omoide Yokocho, often called Memory Lane, is the narrow restaurant alley immediately northwest of Shinjuku Station, by the west exit. It is the opposite side of the station from Kabukicho and Golden Gai. Come out of the west exit and look for the covered lane of tiny yakitori counters rather than walking east under the tracks.

There is no admission to the alley. Each counter is its own restaurant. GO TOKYO's guide points at the area; the shops do not share one ticket desk.

Hours & tickets

The lane itself is not a venue with published hours. Stalls open toward the evening and many are busiest after work. A shuttered counter in the early afternoon is normal, not a sign you are lost. Checked Oct 2026: confirm a specific shop's hours on its own sign. There is no official combined timetable.

Plenty of counters are cash-only. That is a property of the stall, so take yen before you sit. A card that works in Shinjuku Station may not work two minutes later at the grill.

• GO TOKYO, official Tokyo travel guide

Best time to visit

Early evening, just as seats start to fill, is easier than the post-work crush. If you arrive late you may be waiting in a lane too narrow to queue comfortably. Weekday lunch is hit-or-miss because many shutters are still down.

This is a dinner stop, not a breakfast one. Pair it with the west-side observatory only if the observatory hours still overlap your walk back.

How long to spend

Forty-five to sixty minutes is one seating: skewers, a drink, and the lane. It is not a grazing walk like a market. Once you sit you are at that counter, so choose the door before you commit.

Tips

• •Seats fill quickly after work hours; go early or queue a little.
• •Most stalls are cash-only, so bring yen.
• •Look at the price list before you sit. A seating charge or a minimum can be posted in Japanese on a small board at the door.
• •Smoke is part of the alley. If that is a problem, eat on a wider street instead of asking a six-seat counter to change how it grills.

Nearby

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government observatory is the west-side neighbor if you still have daylight. Golden Gai and Kabukicho are east of the station, a deliberate second walk rather than the next block. All three sit in the Shinjuku guide.

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