Ameyoko

Looks a lot like the markets around here. The T-shirts are a big similarity, as well as the food carts/stalls.

Fish lady looked kinda cute, I'd have to buy some :)

A Ameyoko looks like a place where you can get alot of grub to eat...

LOL, 30 years ago many people like eating but now they're doing sports to slim down... Maybe?

"This girl wants you to eat her balls. " That just sounds so wrong but feels so right LOL

Eating out is a pretty common thing here... I think? Enjoying a scrumptious meal while breathing in fresh air is the way to enjoy life~

For someone who loves to explore different cuisines what better place than a market! :D I definitely must go there someday!

Dont worry M'sia here still have the hawker centres that you like.

Don't worry Danny~Hawker still will always be here in Malaysia.Especially Penang XD

Don't worry Danny~Hawker stall's will always be here in Malaysia.Especially Penang XD

Something like that is pretty foreign to where I live here in the USA. It is funny how certain things transition, fish to sporting goods.

Ive been there - i kinda stumbled upon it by accident while exploring Ueno. Nice place - i couldnt believe the diversity and WTF-ness of all the seafood they sold!
Nice pics - makes me wish i was back there!

Nice find! I'll recommend this area to my friends when we go down to Tokyo this October. I've always liked visiting market places, especially with their variety of local food and spices. :D

Fake brands and DVD eh.. Here still got, but the place that sells them dwindling by a lot these recent years, but I know two or three places

Whoa, I had no idea Ameyoko existed before. It looks pretty hustle-and-bustle marketplace, which is really cool. Funny you had the poll up if it's on my visit list because it wasn't before but it sure as heck is now XD.

Oh~ My brother went to Ameyo when he went to Japan, he bought loads of sweets. He said it was like any other market in London though :/

London has LOADS of markets(http://www.londonmarkets.co.uk/ for a complete list), the most famous being
Covent Garden market(very multi-cultural, sweet shops from around the world(pocky~), clothes, even Print Clubs like the ones in tokyo!)
Camden Market(for the weirdest stuff you'll ever find, punk clothes, gothic lolita clothes, art, food from around the world etc etc)
Portobello Road Market(all kinds of rare stuff, antiques, music, instruments, art)

Anyone in London should visit any of those 3 ^^

First time I went to Japan, we went to Ameyoko. I remember that Kebab shop in the photos. I was surprised they even had kebabs in Japan! I also bought strawberries to eat from one of the fruit markets. Markets in Sydney are quite dodgy because there's lots of crappy quality or even fake brands, some with unreasonable prices etc. Generally I don't like markets in Australia. Too expensive.
Did you go into the big toy store nearby?

Ok... Ameyoko will be on top of my list for food... When I feel like I want to spend a day eating which I'm sure will happen...then I'll visit there.
Open air food stalls can only be seen here during events, such as Food Festivals. Large variety of multi-cultural foods can be seen for sale. I'd say that eating outside is not very common, but it can be seen here and there.
Nothing to recommend here really...

We have lost of restaurants with open-air seating but food carts are rare around here. Those balls looked good.
You can get lots of fake T-shirts and opensource dvds at the Chinese markets. But thes are more strictly controlled nowadays.

Food~ sweets~ mmm~ :q Definitely on my visit list, which is filling up quite nicely Danny, stop posting about nice places to visit or I'm going to go broke in the first week xP~

There's Market City near Central Station in Sydney (depends on how you classify near though), right in front of Chinatown =D. I'll be documenting my next city trip so I'll include photos of the market there too (though I wouldn't consider it as diverse as Ameyoko).

There are markets elsewhere, but I haven't visited any of them, though I know www.bondimarkets.com.au is pretty good for fashion, I should ask my friend when we're going, she's currently working in the fashion industry and ought to at least check it out ^^;

I'd eat her balls, if you know what i mean

man, Australia's such a boring place.
The only place around that has outdoor stalls would either be in Chinatown or The Rocks in Sydney. And i live a good hour (by train) from the CBD.

;_;

I shall put this on my travel list when I visit Japan.. Looks interesting to go to..

Singapore still have some roadside market in certain areas, even though the country has shopping centres.. Some of them do sell their goods at cheaper price if you bargain with the shopkeeper.. ^^

I still do not get it about the transition from seafood to sporting goods..

There's also Uecho which splits away from Ameyoko but are more focused on ordinary shops:
http://picasaweb.google.com/senorquentinos/Tokyo2008/photo#5210226810764710674

There is also a small "supermarket" place that has a lot of sweets and such for a good deal. My sister horded in a huge amount of gums enough for me to feel heavy to carry just that bag around (my purpose in Ameyoko was apparently similar to that of a donkey)

Gotta put this on my visit list.

There are a lot of market like this in Indonesia but not many in Canada as far as I know.

Dear Danny, if you were to plan your visit again to Malaysia (K.L. or Penang), please MUST drop me a mail. I'll be glad & honor to sponsor your period of stay at Times Square Hotel, K.L. (Subjected to T & C ^ ^).

Can't wait to meet you in person.

you know that restaurant in the background at the last pic, there was a documentary about that place just before it closed down. i think they were running it for 50 years or so until... i guess no heir. you must like ameyoko alot! you seem to go there often ;-)

hmm cart food. here you gotta be a bit careful about cleanliness....but there are those commercialized versions.

Markets here are a different story. But for experience for gaijins...Greenhills would be a start. A foreigner would have to be a bit more courageous dealing with other local markets because ambience, security ,etc. etc. are really different :P

We used to have tons of push car vendors(hawkers) years ago. Now that I think about it, I really can't remember when the last time I saw one was. Used to be tons of Hot Dog stands around but now I'm drawing a blank. They may be still popular in New York though.

Alot of restaurants have patios and beer gardens for people to sit outside and eat. Though the food is always cooked inside.

Aww, I so wanted me a granddad bargain T_T ...but I wouldn't say no thanks to a helping of that girl's balls though (thanks for that, Danny <_<)

In my part town there's a relatively big market every month or so. Lots of food stalls and stuff. And it's always popular to eat outside here (not counting cold and rainy days).

Now I can add another place to my go to list when I go to Japan.
It seems like a nice place with all these open shops and such.
That's a lot of seafood.

The closest thing we have to yatai here are icecream trucks that visit in the summer. I'm not really sure how they stay in business since they don't seem to be THAT busy. Probably doesn't pay that well. Oh yah, there are lots of yatai at carnivals and sporting events, but I never go to those so that's why I forgot ^^;

I would always hear the station name Okachimachi on my way to Akihabara and thought the name was funny sounding and never knew such a gem place was there, doh! There are lots of open air food places in Korea and I would always enjoy eating from there during my stay there. Not so many open air food places here in USA since people drive rather than walk around here.

Singapore has alot of such places too albeit much smaller and there are mostly found deep within the residential areas.

Interesting to see, but not really on the visit list. Too much sea food for my taste. Never knew abou the clapping-for-customers though

The environment looks similar to chinatowns minus red big banners and lantern

when i'm in tokyo i ever go on that place. It's one of the tokyo's places where u can think "wow i'm in Asia!"

looks like the place to go. i shall put it on my list

Ameyoko was on the list last time I went, but ran out of time. Will definitely go next time.

Never made it to Ameyoko. Was too attracted by the flashing lights of the big city. Are vendors in the Ameyoko Chika Building mostly Chinese or Japanese? Most Japanese restuarants here are run by Chinese. Open food stalls are around, but not city wide. You can grab a donair or hot dog around the downtown area for lunch. Pirated DVDs are hidden from sight, but available.

After your Haruna Ai post Danny, I have no temptation to eat any girl's balls.

man, I miss popiah sooooo much, please help me have a few extras when you're in SG :P I don't like the heat and humidity in asia tho =_=;

Nice! have to check this place out!

If your coming to Philadelphia, i recomend Reading terminal Market in center city. Its nowhere near as massive as Ameyoko, but there are plenty of good places to eat and shop at.

Next time I'm in Japan, definitely. First time I didn't go there...

Mmmm...all those fish markets....is it sushi grade?....lol at the food called "ball"..."The balls are filled with anything that you want", ahahha of how u always makes fun of food...anything but condensed milk is ok..O_o

Wow, I love markets! I'm definitely going to check this one out.

I actually had trouble finding Ameyoko the times I went. But it was right under my nose, as I passed by Ueno station quite a lot. So last time I checked it out, and it was very busy. (actually didn't eat anything though as I was on my way to Akiba on foot, you're already half way when you're at Okachimachi station).

In Belgium, it's quite a tradition in the summer that you can sit outside to drink or eat. We also have weekly markets, some large some small.

I remember visiting the *ahem* adult stores *ahem* in Ameyoko after having dinner to take a look at some of the weirder looking stuff they have there ^^;

Had dinner at a 'All you can eat Sushi Bar for 1500 yen' near the Yatai. There's a dash of wasabi in the Sushis ^^;

hey those kebabs look like gyros. Funny, I had one just yesterday! Good stuff.

I love open marketplaces.. there's none really in Salt Lake City, in fact, food sucks here in general. Everytime i host a Japanese person for the summer, s/he always complains about the food not being fresh (since we're too inland and too deserty to get fresh stuff). The yummy icecream trucks are the closest to Ameyoko you can get. lol

Open Air stalls are for bidden in Australia due to health regulations. There are no snack stalls in Sydney - at all. Only stores selling Meals or similar - a shameful state I must say. I go back to the motherland for my snack needs every one or two years.

Cool! its like a mix of a wet market and a street festival. must check it out...
btw Danny when will you be arriving in Sunny Singapore?

Wow...Nice markets! Wish i could go there one day =)
Need to save alot money first...

シンガポールようこそ！(in advance)
Looking forward to your "Week in Singapore/Malaysia" ^^

This looks really interesting Danny. I like the contrast of Japanese to Chinese foods. I'm sure my wife would enjoy Ameyoko as well, so it's added to my list.

Eastern market District in Detroit is the close we would have to Ameyoko or any open air market in Japan.

Once in a while I see a hot dog stand here or there. Food can be so so and often too expensive.

Its on my visit list now. thanx Danny.
Open market vendors aren't particularly common in Chicago, but we DO have farmers markets spread through out the city. I go to the one in Daley Plaza every thursday. They sell an assortment of raw foods(vegetables/fruits) and baked goods. Last week Arabian appreciation day or something, so i saw a lot of Arab vendors selling their goods (clothes, rugs, hookah lamps, etc.)
Yes , eating outdoors is very common and is usually preferred if weather permits. I like eating outside, it feels so cramped in a restaurant sometimes; let alone it being crowded if its a good one.

Very interesting place.
Looking forward to your trip here in Singapore.

My dad wandered into this place when I was in Akihabara...needless to say I needed more time there than he did.

Those filled balls look like an entire meal fit into one, along with dessert on the outside.

I remember my old Nihongo Sensei telling me eating outside in public was frowned upon in Japan. never thought it was true. ^^

>This girl wants you to eat her balls.
lol! omg she has balls? ^^;

Wow the place is so clean. So spick and span.
In mumbai, you cant throw a stone without hitting an open air food stall. But i wouldn't recommend anyone to eat from any food stall. Hygiene is a big problem. Stalls are generally clean but water used is of unknown origin and surroundings are dirty.
Opensource dvd's, cd's or vcd's are common near the railway stations or at big markets where lots of people frequent. I don't feel like recommending any markets here cause they're too dirty. People here are dirty. :(

Wow I would LOVE to be in ameyoko... It's places like these that makes me want to go visit Asia. These market places have that cultural local "home" environment that just feels so nice...

Man, I would be so out of place there. I am a big southern boy and I don't shave my face. Yeah out of place indeed.

Also, I just found this site. This place rocks! I have been trying to find a site that was a-day-in-the-life-of some one in Japan. Nice.

LOL... funny, but it's not really nice to have joke about smell of any races. ;)

Thanks to Danny, now I know by any chance in japan I don't like the food, I know at least 1 kebab shop.

Fukuoka has excellent yatai, especially the Nagahama area with the famous Nagahama ramen *droooools
I love the friendly atmosphere of the yatai too and after a few beers anyone will become your friend (sometimes too friendly for ones liking maybe lol).

ameyoko looks something like Petaling Street in KL or Tong Men in Shenzen
and yes hawker stores are still very much alive in malaysia and most of the hawkers here sells open air by the road side (so you get to eat the exhaust smoke from the bus)

and omg the food there (ameyoko) looks so tempting..it will be on my visiting list

It seems there are many Singaporeans who are looking forward to your trip here :D Someone should plan a welcome party / escort around town, I'm sure we'd all love to take off work and show you around!
P.S.: Heads up for you Danny - Customs checkpoint between Malaysia and Singapore is a pain right now and will continue to be such (mostly on the Singapore side) for about a year to come.

Wow... Ameyoko is definitely in my visit list. One thing I like about going in new places is trying new food and Ameyoko seems to have a lot of that! Maybe there I can eat at hawker stalls without the threat of getting sick. Food stalls here in meh country are unsafe!

There seems to be a lot of seafood there as well. I love seafood! I will probably enjoy my time there eating everything XD

Danny, the photo session was excelent!!! here in Tucuman, we have a lot of open air food. But, here we sell something call "Choripan" a compound word. A choripán (plural: choripanes) is a popular sandwich in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Cuba. The name comes from the combination of its ingredients: a grilled chorizo and a crusty bread (in Spanish: pan) such as a marraqueta or baguette. The chorizo may be used whole or cut in half lengthwise, in this case it is called a mariposa (butterfly). It is customary to add sauces on the bread, most likely chimichurri.

Choripanes are commonly served as an appetizer during the preparation of an asado, but they are also very commonly sold at sport venues (particularly soccer games) and on the sides of roads and streets in major cities in Argentina.

Here are some photos: http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/7800/choripan5kz2.jpg
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/9302/choripan4ql3.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/5852/choripan3ws7.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/2668/choripan2ka0.jpg

We have this in Singapore but it's not as vibrant as say Malaysia or Hong Kong.
Would def visit Ameyoko if have the chance!

I've been there! It's a short walk from Ueno station if I'm not wrong... and before entering the street, you'll walk past a huge 6 to 8-storey building filled with anime toys, manga etc!! Correct me if I'm wrong...

Anyway, danny-san, let us know when you'll be in Singapore! If we can't host you, at least we can take you out for a meal FOC! ^-^

Wow nice place! Definitely in my wish list when I go Japan!
And oh Danny, I am from Penang, Malaysia. And if you ask any Malaysian, most will tell you that Penang serves some of the best food in Malaysia. Am glad to tell you that hawker stalls can be found abundantly in Penang. Most Penangnites have the habit of eating outside or just grabbing a bite. So you can actually find hawker stalls everywhere!

Although I remember you posting about the bad experiences you had in Penang before, it is definitely a good place for food.

Interesing place! Funny to see a Chinese section...xD

YUS! I can now safely travel to Japan with no worries for they poses my main food! Döner Kebab!

Now I know why Japanese animations tend to depict deserted roads and places.
They are always packed in real life..

Just curious to know how vegetarian-friendly this market is?

It's just like my home country's free market ^^"

Ameyoko looks like a cool place for a gaijin like me ^_^

Hello everybodyand hi to you too danny. We do eat here in Romania a lot i open space, one of the most popular dish is called 'mici' which is basically meat and pork meat, some key ingredients and roasted on a barbeque...they are best served with mustard on top and a cold beer. Perhaps when i visit Tokyo you will find the time to show me what i must taste first from the vast japanese food. All the best from Transilvania. Marius

Reminds me a lot of China town in NewYork city, although i live in Florida now. I was hoping Grandad was for sale. lol! xD

It is really easy to get fake brands, dvds and things like that around here... Some places they offer it to you like they were selling candys or original ones!

You just have to know where to go.

Funnily enough, my first stop was ueno so inevitably ended up in Ameyoko >_<. Yeah, our outside food stalls in Sydney are just for fairs and festivals, pretty boring TT_TT