Tokyo may no longer officially rank as the world¡¯s largest megacity ¡ª that title now belongs to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta ¡ª but the crowds and claustrophobia can sometimes still make it feel that way. The antidote is simple: Leave behind the homogenous, high-rise ¡°Hills¡± complexes and explore some of the city¡¯s smaller, down-to-earth neighborhoods.
Yoyogi-Uehara makes a great place to start. Step out of the station ¡ª less than a 10-minute train or subway ride from bustling Shinjuku or Harajuku on the Odakyu or Chiyoda lines ¡ª and you¡¯ll find yourself in a low-rise, slow-pace community with a distinct ambience all its own.
The area hardly qualifies as ¡°under the radar¡± in the strictest sense, least of all to the thousands of commuters who pass through the station each day. But it¡¯s home to a good number of restaurants that enjoy much less renown than they deserve. Here are some the locals would probably prefer the rest of us didn¡¯t know about ¡ª all of them within easy walking distance.
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