An entire block of a Shinagawa business zone will, for two June evenings only, whisk revellers back to Japan’s much-romanticised Showa era. Shinagawa Yokocho Terrace 2024: Summer sees the outdoor spaces of the usually buttoned-up Shinagawa Season Terrace transformed into an airy pop-up yokocho – those narrow streets lined with intimate bars and eateries, and often imbued with a heady atmosphere, that are gradually disappearing from the city.
Under the glow of the red paper lanterns that traditionally signify a pleasure-focused district, food and drink stalls will be serving classic, reasonably priced yokocho fare (think yakitori using all sorts of chicken cuts, plus highballs and flowing draught beer) to be enjoyed at rows of al fresco tables set up to encourage mingling.
Further conjuring up the vibes of the Showa period (1926 to 1989, with the later decades being the ones that even Japanese not born at the time get nostalgic for) will be live musicians serenading visitors with popular songs of the era, communal dance sessions, and even a record player that visitors are free to spin their own vinyl on.
A special attraction, making its debut at this year’s edition of the event, is a recreation of a sunakku (‘snack’), those cosy bars that were a go-to for Showa salarymen and that are now finding new fans among retro aesthetic-loving Gen Z. If you’ve ever been intrigued by these usually window-less premises but felt hesitant to enter, this will be a highly accessible opportunity to dive in.