The Rainy season (typically from early June to mid-July) can be tricky for travelers eager to explore the city, but fear not! Covered shopping streets are perfect for people watching, finding cool souvenirs and savoring delicious food.
Just two stops away from Meguro, the shoutengai (local Japanese shopping street) in Musashi Koyama stretches almost a kilometer (currently the longest covered arcade in Tokyo), and like many others is delightfully stuffed with stores and restaurants. My favorite was, oddly, a store which supplies Buddhist altars and graveyard supplies. There were very realistic candles shaped like beer, sake cups or green tea, which you light when paying your respects to your ancestors. I thought these were adorable and very clever, as leaving actual food and drinks on graves seems somewhat wasteful.
In addition, there are arcades, pop-up shops, musical performances and enough quirky little stores to keep your eyes wandering!
And of course, you cannot go anywhere in Japan without considering food…of which shoutengai are bountiful purveyors. From croquettes to sweets and bread, there is always a delightful aroma to tempt you.
In our case, we wandered all the way down to the end of the shoutengai. Right outside the exit was a gratin restaurant called Chiisana Furaipan (translates to ‘a small frying pan’–how adorable!), serving up wonderfully nostalgic versions of pasta gratin and doria (look for a green awning). My partner remarked that they reminded him, in the best way possible, of Japanese school lunches. I had a potato and pumpkin gratin, along with a cup of milky coffee redolent of the Showa Era (1926 – 1989).
The long tunnel branches out near the entrance, with the right branch leading to (selfishly) my favorite part of the shoutengai. Why selfish? Well, basically it is the oldest part, and a great deal of businesses are closed or largely ignored…but ever so nostalgic-looking. If the rain abates, then you can continue walking straight ahead, until you get to Nishi Koyama, and its open-air shopping streets (lots of nostalgia there too)!
To get to Musashi Koyama, take the Meguro Line towards Hiyoshi.
Learn more about the shoutengai in Musashi Koyama: https://metropolisjapan.com/heartlands-shotengai-and-kushiyaki-in-musashi-koyama/
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FKszow78KTusPSrv5
Chiisana Furaipan: https://www.chiisana-furaipan.jp/
Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ssKHA6kxmAT1JDNw7
If you enjoyed this article, check out my blog for more local secrets: http://moveovergodzilla.blogspot.jp/