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Namiki Street (並木通り)

This downtown shopping street is also perpendicular to Hondori, stretching from Starbucks and Parco in the north to Peace Boulevard in the south. The businesses here are a bit more inconspicuous than the ones on Kinzagai, Chuo-dori, or Hondori, but not less fancy for it. The Meipuru-pu tour bus drops tourists off at the southern end of Namiki Street, which provides a less chaotic way to approach Hondori.

Moment of Joy

When walking north on Namiki Street, hang a right before Parco to find yourself by Okonomi Village, Don Quijote, and Alice Garden. On Sunday afternoons, Alice Garden is chock full of local youth enjoying some spectacle or another. Swing by to catch a glimpse of a prospective idol group or bear witness to a Japanese rap battle on stage while munching on a crepe sold from a nearby food truck.