Shimokitazawa: the backstreets
Car-light lanes of vintage and vinyl, tiny theatres, and the low-rise blocks on the old railway land. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Shimokitazawa Station
Once the railway ran on the surface and split the place in two; now it's underground and the old land is being stitched back. Come out and pick a lane — the neighbourhood is small enough that wrong turns are the point.

2. North-side vintage lanes
The dense tangle north of the tracks is where the second-hand shops cluster — racks of old denim, band tees, the occasional immaculate trench. Prices are fair and the lanes are car-light, so wander rather than aim.

3. The record shops
*Shimokita* keeps more vinyl per square metre than anywhere in Tokyo. Pop into one even if you don't buy; the staff know their stock and the listening posts are an excuse to sit down.

4. Honda Gekijo theatres
The small playhouses and live houses that made *Shimokita* a stage town. Most shows are in the evening, but the posters and the alley-front box offices give you the measure of it by day.

5. Reload
A low-rise white block of independent shops and coffee on the old railway land, north of the station. Built to be walked through, not around; cut between the units and take a coffee on a step.

6. Bonus Track
The other new development, south-west of the station — a small courtyard of bookshops, a brewery, a few kitchens, all sat around a shared bench-lined path. The curry here is part of the local religion; queue if you must.

Shimokitazawa: the backstreets