The Japanese word yokocho refers to an alleyway or narrow back street—but the term is more definitively associated with the image of shabby lantern-lit alleys lined with tiny, convivial bars and eateries. Their origins can be traced to the black-market stalls for goods and food that popped up throughout Japan after the Second World War, often around train stations. But as the country was restored, these markets disappeared, and cheap eateries took their place. These were to become the seeds of yokocho alleyways where, to this day, diners frequent traditional local yokocho pubs and casual restaurants that offer yakitori, oden, sushi, ramen and more—many of which are open through the night until daybreak. Yokocho shops are typically so compact they can accommodate only a handful of patrons, but this elbow-to-elbow intimacy is what makes them so appealing to those looking to socialize while eating or bar-hopping.

Yokocho have long had a somewhat down-market reputation as places where middle-aged Japanese salarymen congregate for drinks after work, but recently, modern so-called neo-yokocho have grown popular with younger crowds, tourists and families. Like their well-worn predecessors, neo-yokocho are crammed with affordable little restaurants that are rich in both authenticity (diverse menus, reasonable prices) and nostalgia (small, cheerfully crowded spaces). But these retro-chic yokocho are springing up in more upscale settings: near sightseeing spots, as part of redevelopment projects, and inside fashionable multiplex retail and office buildings. And along with this new reputation, neo-yokocho have also become magnets for hip new restaurants.