Izakaya · Akabane

Akabane Ichibangai 赤羽一番街

The capital of senbero, "get drunk for ¥1,000", where locals drink from 9am at old-timer izakaya and the narrow OK Yokocho alley glows with lanterns every night.

HoursVaries: some bars from 9:00, most 16:00–late

ClosedVaries by bar

PriceSenbero session: ¥1,000
Typical evening: ¥2,500

Getting thereAkabane Station (JR, East Exit), 1–3 min

Time needed1–3 hours

Best timeWeekday early evening; weekend mornings for the day-drinking scene

Address1 Akabane, Kita City, Tokyo

About

Akabane, on Tokyo's northern edge, is the city's cheapest and friendliest drinking town, and Ichibangai, the shopping street running from the station's east exit, is its heart. By day it is an ordinary shotengai; by early evening its side lanes, including the tiny OK Yokocho, are packed with standing bars, yakitori grills and Showa izakaya. The most famous is Marumasuya, which opens in the morning and serves carp sashimi, eel and chuhai to a loyal crowd, while others sell highballs for a few hundred yen and skewers by the piece. The mood is loud, unpretentious and welcoming, with almost no tourists; it was even the subject of a popular TV drama about drinking in Akabane.

Highlights

Dense cluster of cheap izakaya, standing bars and yakitori counters
OK Yokocho, a narrow lantern-lit drinking alley
Morning drinking tradition, some places open around 9:00
Marumasuya, a beloved old izakaya famed for carp and eel
Senbero prices: a couple of drinks and snacks for about ¥1,000

Tips

Morning izakaya like Marumasuya close one day a week (Mondays), check before making the trip.
Carry cash; tiny bars rarely take cards.
Hop between two or three places with one drink and one dish each, the local way.
Akabane is 12 minutes from Ikebukuro or 25 minutes from Ueno by JR.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Akabane Ichibangai 赤羽一番街

About

Highlights

Tips

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