East of Shin-Okubo Station, fluorescent lights beam over immaculate rows of pop idol merchandise and imported skincare products while teenage girls line up outside for coin-shaped, cheese-filled buns. On the west side, ads in a jumble of languages telegraph Asian cosmopolitanism along with the crowds of workers lining up for their favorite kebab, curry or banh mi. Try out this itinerary to explore the two sides of Tokyo’s most diverse neighborhood and for a taste-test of flavors from Manila to Tashkent.
Conveniently located one stop north of Shinjuku on the Yamanote Line, Shin-Okubo gets crowded — especially by midafternoon, when swarms of Japanese youngsters mob the neighborhood’s Korean variety stores and fashionable cafes serving Instagram-ready desserts.
It’s more relaxing to come early and munch on tteokbokki rice cakes or bibimbap (rice mixed with meat and vegetables) at one of the many 24-hour Korean diners, like Byuljan or Chuo Sigean, until most of the shops open at 10 or 11 a.m. After a hot meal, you’ll be ready to take on the chaotic, multicolored Okubo-Dori shopping street, where an assortment of signs in Korean, Japanese and English meets the eye.
