Koenji, Tokyo
A scruffy, friendly west-side town of used clothes, live houses and cheap curry, ten minutes from Shinjuku on the Chuo Line. Come in the evening, when the alleys fill up.
What to eat & do in Koenji
I've vetted 22 places in Koenji myself, including 4 for ramen, 5 for bars & izakaya and 3 for matcha & tea. Each one in the guide carries the nearest station and exit, what to order and the reservation reality.
The full names and the exact directions open in the full guide.
Explore nearby
- Shibuya, Energy capital.
- Shinjuku, The city in miniature: skyscrapers west, Golden Gai's tin-roof bars and Omoide Yokocho's yakitori smoke east, Shinjuku Gyoen's gardens an unexpected hush in the middle.
- Asakusa, Old-Tokyo temple district.
- Ginza, Old-money Tokyo.
- Harajuku & Omotesando, Takeshita Street's teenage chaos one block from Omotesando's quiet luxury, the most architecturally beautiful shopping street in Tokyo.
- Ueno & Yanaka, Museum row meets a low-key neighborhood untouched by the bubble years.