Shinjuku Ward, Residents Work to Change Image of Kabukicho’s ‘Toyoko’ Area Through Initiatives

By Michiko Otsuka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:47 JST, March 25, 2026

The Shinjuku Ward Office, in cooperation with local residents, is trialing an initiative in which food trucks operate in the “Toyoko” area of Tokyo’s Kabukicho district, as part of efforts to change its image and promote local businesses.

The area has a reputation of being a hotbed of crime where young people who have no place to belong gather.

On March 15, 10 food trucks offering meat dishes and beer were parked along the 60-meter-long road on one end of the square delineating Toyoko. The young people typically seen hanging around the area had disappeared.

“Kabukicho had a scary reputation, so I’m surprised to find out how relaxing it is to be here,” said a 23-year-old company employee from Nakano Ward, Tokyo, who was enjoying food with a friend at a table. “I’d like to come back.”

Kabukicho Town Management, an organization consisting of local residents, shop operators and administrative offices, have orchestrated initiatives in the square including holding various events and conducting cleaning activities and nighttime patrols.

For the event on March 15, the ward office functioned as the organizer and obtained permission to use the ward-managed road. This helped expand the event space, apparently attracting more visitors.

“The Toyoko area has long had a negative image,” said the managing director of an association engaged in promoting the Kabukicho shopping district and operator of a tonkatsu restaurant. The 72-year-old welcomed the ward’s initiative, saying it will not only help “clean up the area and also restore public order.”

Following nearby example

What set a precedent was a project at Shinjuku Moa 4th Street, a street located about 300 meters south of Toyoko. Under the revised law on special measures concerning urban reconstruction, the ward office opened a permanent cafe there in cooperation with others in November 2012.

Nowadays, with brand shops nearby, the area is crowded with shoppers. But it used to be the site of illegally parked cars, abandoned bicycles and unauthorized waste dumping.

The first initiative under the revised law made it possible to set up and operate dining facilities on the road, the ward office turned the street into a pedestrian zone. Proceeds from the project are used for community development.

“Kabukicho is one of the faces symbolizing Shinjuku,” said Shinjuku Ward Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi, who visited the Toyoko area on March 15. “We would like to continue efforts to turn Toyoko into a place for relaxation and refreshment.”

The ward office plans to regularly hold events in Toyoko, including ones involving food trucks, as part of efforts to promote the district.