Nonbei Yokocho – Shibuya Bar Street

Totally hidden behind a couple of tall buildings on the side of Shibuya station, near the street that leads up to Omotesando, there’s a couple of streets called Nonbei Yokocho (のんべい横丁). “Nonbei” (or nonbe) is a slang expression from the Edo period (1603-1868) meaning drunkard or person who loves drinking, so it’s a pretty fitting name for these two streets of tiny little bars and eateries. Weekend nights like this almost every bar is packed, even though this means there’s only 5-10 persons inside. Japanese really love these tiny bars! Like Shinjuku’s Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho the average age of the patrons is relatively high. This must be a nice place to be a regular! Trying to read up a little on the subject I found this blog with a few interesting drawings of scenes from this street.