Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku

A cluster of narrow, lantern-lit alleys immediately west of Shinjuku Station, built up informally in the postwar black-market years and still largely made of tiny stalls seating a handful of people each. The name translates to "Memory Lane"; older English-language guides still sometimes use its blunter nickname from the era of open-air grills. Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) is the anchor dish, with smoke, noise and close quarters as much a part of the experience as the food itself.