Harmonica Yokocho is a compact web of covered lanes beside Kichijoji Station, named for the close-set shopfronts that resemble harmonica reeds. Its postwar flea-market origins remain legible in the narrow layout, now shared by long-running shops, small eateries, and bars.
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The alleyways are so narrow that the neighborhood feels assembled from individual doorways. Harmonica Yokocho began as a flea market in the years after World War II, when small stalls filled the area beside Kichijoji Station. Its name compares the rows of close-set shops to the reeds of a harmonica.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The area began as a postwar flea market.
- Its name refers to the resemblance of the lanes to harmonica reeds.
- The district sits beside Kichijoji Station’s north side.
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