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View all Tokyo toursTogoshi Ginza Food Walk: Tokyo's Longest Shopping Street
Tokyo's longest shotengai, 1.3 km of shops with almost no tourists, eaten properly over three hours.
Highlights
- Togoshi Ginza — 1.3 km and around 400 shops, Tokyo's longest
- Named after paving bricks salvaged from Ginza's tram lines in 1923
- Karaage, okonomiyaki and hot croquettes as you walk
- An izakaya sit-down toward the end
- A residential street, not a tourist one
Full description
A shotengai is a covered local shopping street, and Togoshi Ginza is the longest in Tokyo — about 1.3 kilometres and roughly 400 shops, in a residential part of Shinagawa that almost no visitor reaches.
That matters because the food here is priced and made for people who live nearby and come back weekly. The name is borrowed: after the 1923 earthquake the street was rebuilt using paving bricks salvaged from Ginza's ruined tram lines, and it took the name with them.
The walk eats across the street rather than stopping at one place. Karaage from a fryer that does nothing else, okonomiyaki cooked on the griddle in front of you, croquettes handed over hot in paper, and an izakaya sit-down toward the end. Your guide explains what each shop is known for and how long it has been there — several are family businesses across generations.
It is the opposite of a Tsukiji food tour: no queues, no English menus, no other groups.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Meet at Togoshi Ginza
Meet your guide at the station and get the street's history before eating.
The first stretch
Croquettes, karaage and the small specialists that have been here for generations.
Okonomiyaki griddle
Cooked in front of you at a counter that does little else.
Izakaya sit-down
Finish seated with a spread of izakaya dishes.
Detailed Itinerary
Meet at Togoshi Ginza Station, about fifteen minutes from Shibuya, which is far enough off the circuit that you will not see another tour group all evening. The opening covers what a shotengai is and why this one is named after Ginza.
The first hour works down the street on foot, eating standing up the way locals do — croquettes, karaage, whatever is best that day. Your guide knows which shops have been in the same family for decades and which are newer.
Okonomiyaki is the sit-down midpoint, cooked on the griddle at the counter. The evening finishes at an izakaya with a proper spread. You come away full; this replaces dinner rather than preceding it.
Includes
- English-speaking local guide for three hours
- All food tastings along the street
- Izakaya course with dishes
- Stories and background on each shop
Excludes
- Alcoholic drinks beyond any included
- Hotel transfers
- Train fare to the meeting point
- Gratuities
Important information
Meeting point
Togoshi Ginza Station — the exact point is sent on confirmation
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
This food tour was great. We visited 4 places each with different local food, all were delicious. Thomas was a great host and very informative about the local area and also gave us insight on what else we could do while in Japan. At the last place we had coffee but we had to take our cake home as we were too full. It was a tour of just the two of us, which was lovely and very personal. At the end of the tour we were heading back to Shinjuku and so was Thomas so he helped guide us back to our accommodation. Would highly recommend this tour.