A Love Letter to the Tokyo Shitamachi
My perspective on the timeless neighborhoods of the Japanese megalopolis.
A back alley in Kabukicho.
It’s 6pm on a Friday evening. I’m walking down a narrow alley flanked by bars and restaurants filled with tipsy patrons. Happy hour started early.
My friends are waiting for me inside of one of these smoke-filled drinkeries, but it takes a bit of searching to figure out which. Google Maps is useless here. There are no street signs, no landmarks, and no visible street addresses. Welcome to the Tokyo shitamachi.
We know exactly where we’re going to end up. We’ve been looking forward to it all week. But before we get there, we need time to catch up and erase our lingering work thoughts. It won’t take long — after a few ¥500 mega beers and karaage, we leave our first stop and wander down the alley in search of the next.
Eventually, off-balance and laughing loudly, we reach our final destination: the karaoke bar. We can already hear voices from inside singing along to Anri, Yumi Arai, and Happy End. As a foreigner, I tend to draw a lot of attention, especially in a setting like this. And more often than not, I’m quickly greeted by a friendly salaryman. He hands me a microphone and pre-selects a David Bowie track. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and order a drink, but I oblige.
My friends are laughing. Everyone is singing along, unconcerned with staying in tune or on time. It’s going to be a long, wonderful night. A night where we lower our guard around strangers and enjoy the moment. Forget the last train. We’ve reached a place where time stands still.
What’s a Shitamachi?
Literally translated to English as “lower city”, shitamachi refers to the older neighborhoods of Tokyo — during the time when it was referred to as “Edo” — that generally occupied areas that were closer to sea level. In North America, we might refer to the shitamachi as a downtown neighborhood where working class people live, work, and play. Over time, the meaning of shitamachi has expanded to include areas that have retained their old-world charm. My favorite shitamachi-like areas in Tokyo include Koenji, Kita-senju, Kichijoji, and Akabane.
Some of the common characteristics of a shitamachi include narrow streets, tiny bars, and a mix of building heights and uses. Bars and restaurants are often owned and operated by the same person, and it’s not uncommon for them to live behind or above their place of business.
Despite nostalgia amongst Tokyo residents, the shitamachi are slowly being redeveloped and replaced by glass towers that include work, live, play, and transit amenities. Increasingly modeled on the popular Roppongi Hills, the new developments are driven by a desire for newness and global appeal.
The redevelopments are likely a net-positive on the local economy as they result in increased foot traffic and commercial activity. And from an urbanism perspective, these areas are the gold standard in transit-oriented and mixed-use development. However, I can’t help but feel like the Tokyo soul is getting lost in translation.
The New Normal
It’s a Monday afternoon, and I’m having lunch at an American-style burger restaurant in Tokyo’s shiny new Toranomon Hills. The food is fine, if not a little overpriced, and the air-conditioned interior is clean and cool. I’m surrounded by well-dressed uptown girls carrying gift bags from the museum upstairs. The only thing on my mind: our next shitamachi adventure.