Don’t Topple The Stone: Tateishi Nakamise

Tateishi is the heart of downtown Tokyo.
The problem is Tateishi Nakamise is pretty grim at first glance.
Walking back to the train Nobu pointed out the narrowest alleys, lined with rundown shacks, that used to be filled with prostitutes in the post WW2 years.
It wears its impermanence like a badge, believing that the heart of Tokyo will always remain.
Tateishi means “standing stone” and the name was derived from one of these stones (Tateishi-sama) that has occupied a shrine here for 600 years.