Ameyoko Shopping Street Bustling with Shoppers Preparing for New Year’s Holidays; Bargain Hunting Popular Amid Rising Prices

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:19 JST, December 31, 2024

The famous Ameyoko shopping street in the Ueno district of Taito Ward, Tokyo, was filled with shoppers and tourists on Monday, most of them looking for food for New Year’s dishes.

As prices of food and other items have continued to rise recently, shoppers continually checked the price tags of items such as crab, tuna and herring roe to get a good bargain as New Year’s Day drew closer.

“I gave up buying king crabs because they were so expensive, but I got some octopus that my dad likes,” said Tomohiro Kaneko, a 49-year-old company worker from Saitama Prefecture. “I want to spend the New Year’s holidays with my family, relaxing at home.”

According to the Ameyoko shops’ association, about 420,000 shoppers visited the street on Monday.