Shin-Okubo, Tokyo: Koreatown
Considered Tokyo’s Koreatown, Shin-Okubo is the go-to spot for Korean food, pop culture and cosmetics, and is an area that is increasingly challenging Harajuku as a hangout spot for young locals.
Shin-Okubo is one train stop from Shinjuku, and is known as Tokyo’s Koreatown
In recent years, it has become an alternative to and sometimes preferred play spot to Harajuku
Many other Asian restaurants and markets can be found in this area
It’s one of those pockets of Tokyo that feels, well, slightly different from typical Japan. Only one stop from Shinjuku, Shin-Okubo is a neighborhood with a South Korean vibe mixed with a little bit of Southeast Asia.
How to get there
Tokyo’s main loop line, the Yamanote Line, stops right at Shin-Okubo Station. It’s also a 15-minute walk from Shinjuku, making it a very easily accessible destination.
About Shin-Okubo
As Japan opened up to foreign exchange students in the early 1980s, immigrants from South Korea settled in Shin-Okubo. Many of those who immigrated in later years did the same, and the community continued to flourish.
More recently as the influence of J-pop declined and Korean pop culture grew, so did the crowds going to the area. Most of them are going to get merchandise from their favorite Korean stars, Korean cosmetics, or are going to try some of the latest trendy foods.
Other Asian immigrants began to set up shop there as well, and it’s become a bit of a Little Myeongdong, Seoul meets Southeast Asia, if you will.
Housing in Shin-Okubo
Shin-Okubo is a relatively affordable place to live, especially considering that it’s on Tokyo’s main train line and is right next to Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s downtowns.
The average rent in Shin-Okubo is a little lower than Tokyo’s average. For a 1K studio, it’s 103,500 JPY (USD $658) per month as of June 2024, up from 90,500 JPY (then USD $797) in October 2021. For a 1LDK single bedroom apartment, the average is 186,200 JPY (USD $1,184) as of June 2024. [J]
Street Food
It’s not just the entertainment, street foods and snacks from South Korea have become trendy in Japan as well.
Small shops and stalls line the streets here, selling items like cheese-filled Korean corn dogs, character macarons, colorful drinks and more.
Korean Shops
While a lot of young people flock to Harajuku’s Takeshita Street area for Japanese celebrity memorabilia, cosmetics and accessories, Shin-Okubo’s main Okubo-dori Street has increasingly been able to compete as a go-to destination for them as well.
I personally didn’t explore them one by one, but there are both small boutique shops and bigger multi-story mini malls that are full of Korean products.
Korean Markets
Korean food is already extremely popular in Japan, and Shin-Okubo is flooded with Korean restaurants. However, sometimes you want to make Korean dishes at home and certain items may be hard to come by.
Bone-in kalbi, for example, isn’t sold at most Japanese markets and unless you go shopping at Costco Japan, markets in Shin-Okubo may be your best bet. This is what we came for, and we were able to find some at Seoul Market.
KangHoDong Chicken 678
Authentic Korean fried chicken at a bustling eatery. We decided to come here after missing the delicious food we had in Seoul.
KangHoDong Chicken 678 is very popular so there may be a wait, but Korean fried chicken is some of the best chicken around so it’s very worth it.
We got a combo of their regular sauce (left) and chili (right) fried chicken, and washed it down with some beers. Great choice to top off a day in Shin-Okubo.
Khunmae
Khunmae is a Thai restaurant that is both delicious and of amazing value. Highly rated, we stopped by for lunch and a Japan food reviewer specializing in the best Thai food in the country just happened to be hosting a livestream there. Good sign.
We got a bowl of khao soi, a noodle soup from northern Thailand. A flavorful broth of slightly spicy Thai curry and a hint of coconut, it featured pho-like noodles along with dried noodles, chicken and a range of fresh vegetables which added great texture.
There’s a self-serve table of tea and coffee, and all for 950 JPY. A very good lunch option in Shin-Okubo.
Vietnam Chan
A good choice for some authentic Vietnamese food. We came here for lunch and it was packed with both Japanese and Vietnamese alike, so we knew as soon as we entered that this would be legit.
It’s not a fancy place, just straight forward and to the point. We got beef pho (which is less common in Japan versus chicken) and had orders of rolls and che, the Vietnamese dessert pudding.
A good option to get your Vietnamese fix if you’re nearby.
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Nakai, Tokyo: Somenokomichi Festival
A small, residential area near Shinjuku, Nakai puts on an annual festival in recognition of its fabric-dyeing heritage.
Nakai is a small, residential neighborhood just northwest of Shinjuku Station
The area is historically known for kimono fabric dyeing and screen printing
Every February, the Somenokomichi Festival honors this tradition
Tokyo may be viewed as just a big city on the surface, but drift just a little away from the main hubs and you’ll find yourself in very local neighborhoods.
Nakai, which is in the Shinjuku Ward, is one of those areas. If you’re in Tokyo in February, you might be in luck.
How to get there
Nakai is just a 10-minute train ride from Shinjuku Station. Both the Oedo Subway line and Seibu Shinjuku lines will take you there.
Somenokamichi Festival
For one weekend in February, the quaint neighborhoods of Nakai and Ochiai comes alive for the Somenokomichi Festival.
The area was home to about 300 fabric-dyeing businesses from the early Showa era to the 1930s, and were concentrated around the Kanda and Myoshoji rivers.
In recognition of this history, about 50-60 pieces of Kimono fabric are flown to create a “River Gallery,” and it’s the central, most photogenic part of the festival.
About 87 shops in the area display specially made curtains, called “noren",” in front of their shops.
In the neighborhood alleys, shops and craftspeople set up tables and sell their homemade fabrics and other items.
At some shops, you can watch as professionals dye fabrics and make handmade products. The festival also holds English tours available for booking.
I went for the first time in 2020. While it’s not a big festival or anything, it’s nice to get to see a local area of Tokyo celebrate its craftspeople. And it’s not overcrowded!
http://www.somenokomichi.com [J]
Owariya
Just a couple blocks north of Nakai Station is a soba (buckwheat noodle) shop. True to Tokyo’s flavor, the broth is strong.
To be honest, it was good but not a must go or anything. I went during lunch time, so I popped in and had a bowl of tempura soba. Satisfied.
MAP
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