Yokohama Noge District

While tourists flock to Minato Mirai's waterfront, locals drink in Noge, a tangle of postwar alleys crammed with over 600 tiny bars, jazz clubs, and standing-only izakaya just behind Sakuragicho Station. The district's roots as a black-market entertainment zone survive in the hand-painted signs, cramped staircases to second-floor whiskey bars, and yakitori counters where the grill master serves eight seats. Noge Maturi in early October fills the streets with live music and street food.