Local Bar Hopping in Harmonica Yokocho, Kichijoji

Kichijoji is widely known as one of the best places to live in Tokyo, but many don’t know of its local reputation for eclectic little bars and gastropubs. Some are so off-the-grid that even Google Maps doesn’t know of their existence! Most of these tiny bars are located in Harmonica Yokocho (or Harmonica Alley), which started as a flea market after World War II. Now, Kichijoji and Harmonica Yokocho are home to 1950s themed pubs, record-scratching bartenders, horse meat cuisine, and even a bar where the staff drink with you! Bar hopping in Harmonica Yokocho is for sure the best way to explore the winding maze of historic pubs and eateries in Kichijoji. Each Harmonica Yokocho bar only seats a few people, with some of the smallest seating only seven. No sooner will you have sat down and ordered a drink than you’ll be drawn into the exuberant atmosphere, conversing with talkative locals. Whether or not you speak Japanese, Harmonica Yokocho is the perfect place to strike up a conversation with your neighbors at the bar counter, because even if you don’t know Japanese, our bar hopping tour guide is happy to interpret. Soon, you’ll be cracking jokes and saying “kampai!” like a local. The trilingual tour guide is something of a local celebrity; every few minutes, somebody recognizes him and calls out his name or claps him on the back. Having lived in Kichijoji for the past couple of years and gotten to know the owners and bartenders of some of the most eccentric and friendly bars in Tokyo, he’s the perfect tour guide to take you bar hopping in Tokyo’s most livable neighborhood, Kichijoji.