Yokocho Day (Yokocho no Hi)

What Is Yokocho Day?

Every April 5th is "Yokocho Day" (Yokocho no Hi) in Japan. The date comes from a pun reading 4 as "yo" and 5 as "ko," making "yokocho" (alley). It was established by Asurabo Inc., a company headquartered in Minato City, Tokyo, that runs "yokocho" dining complexes gathering distinctive shops serving regional ingredients and dishes, and it was certified and registered by the Japan Anniversary Association in 2018. Its aim is to support passionate local entrepreneurs through yokocho and to energize regional economies. It's a day to enjoy the charm of yokocho, the alleys lined with small shops just off the main streets.

The History of Yokocho

Japan's yokocho are packed with the history of how towns grew and how people lived.

• Alleys as living spaces: In Edo, rows of nagaya tenement houses stood deep in the alleys off the main streets, with shared wells and toilets. The alleys were both passageways and part of everyday life, where neighbors saw each other every day.
• Starting from black markets: Many of today's popular yokocho, such as Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku and Harmonica Yokocho in Kichijoji, have their roots in postwar black markets. Places where small stalls clustered together gradually turned into alleys lined with eateries and shops.

Why People Love Yokocho

Yokocho, with their small shops crowded along narrow alleys, have a charm that big stores lack.

• Closeness: In small shops centered on counter seating, you sit close to the owner and to other customers, creating an atmosphere where conversation comes naturally.
• A "third place": A comfortable place you can drop by casually, apart from home (the first place) and work (the second place), is called a "third place." The concept was proposed by the American sociologist Ray Oldenburg, and yokocho shops can be one such place.

Interesting Facts About Yokocho

• "横町" and "横丁": Both mean "a town or street branching off a main street." The character "丁" represents a town block, and both spellings are used with the same meaning, which is why the day's name includes both.
• "Yokocho" overseas: Dining streets that recreate the atmosphere of Japanese yokocho have appeared overseas as well, and the word "yokocho" is becoming known.
• How Harmonica Yokocho got its name: Kichijoji's Harmonica Yokocho is said to have been named because its small shops, lined up in a narrow row, look like the holes of a harmonica.
• New yokocho: In recent years, new "yokocho" that gather small eateries inside newly built facilities while evoking the feel of old alleys have appeared in many places.
• The pleasure of alley walks: Old yokocho often preserve signs and buildings with a Showa-era feel, and more and more people enjoy simply strolling through them.

Tips for Marking Yokocho Day

• On your way home from work, walk down an alley one street off the main road and look for a shop that catches your eye
• Visit your favorite yokocho shop and enjoy casual conversation with the owner or the person sitting next to you
• Look into the history of your local yokocho or shopping street to learn how your town developed
• Take a different route and make a "detour" to enjoy new discoveries

Just One Street Over, a Place to Relax Awaits

April 5th is a day to step away from the bustle of the main streets and enjoy the warmth of yokocho. Time spent in a small shop where people sit shoulder to shoulder has a curious power to bring people closer. As the fatigue of the new fiscal year starts to set in, why not head down an alley one street over?