On a short walk south of Nishiojima Station past the Ario Kitasuna shopping mall in Tokyo's Koto Ward you will find Sunamachi Ginza, a traditional shopping street.

A commercial district where people walk or ride their bicycles through a narrow strip of shops looking for cheap deals on daily necessities and local fare, it stands in stark contrast to Ario's mega shopping center with its multilevel parking and the Ito Yokado supermarket selling everything under the sun.

Sunamachi Ginza, not to be confused with Ginza, the upscale shopping district in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, is one of the city's prime examples of old Japan — a place where the history is palpable and few non-Japanese venture, except for some who might make the discovery by accident or those taking part in local food tours.