Some people were standing still under the dimly lit elevated JR railway tracks where many people were hurrying to walk

Under the elevated railway tracks in Shinokubo — Under the railroad tracks in Shinokubo

Okubo-dori Street, which used to be not so crowded, became more and more crowded with pedestrians walking on the sidewalks as the atmosphere of Korean Town became stronger. Specifically, as you head east from Shinokubo Station, the Korean atmosphere becomes stronger and the number of pedestrians increases. Korean Town in Shinokubo is a popular spot visited by many people.

According to "Shinokubo Report" written by Hirokazu Murohashi, Shinokubo started to become a Korean town in the mid-1980s. Many Korean clubs started to appear in Kabukicho, and the hostesses who worked in those clubs lived in Shinokubo. Over time, more and more restaurants began to serve Korean food to these hostesses, forming the Korean Town that exists today.

Perhaps because of its tolerant image toward foreigners, there are now many restaurants run by people from other Asian countries. What is interesting is that there seems to be a segregation between Korean stores and other stores. There are no Nepalese stores in a row of Korean stores, and vice versa. I guess it is better to have stores with the same atmosphere lined up to attract more customers. I think the borderline between the two is the elevated JR line in the photo right next to Shinokubo station. If you go to the left, you will find Korean Town, and if you go to the right, you will find many stores from countries other than Korea. This overpass is the dividing line of Shinokubo.

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