Washington

THE brown, light blue and grey tin roofs of Ekimae Shokuhin Ichiba, a shopping street whose name literally means a food market in front of a station, form a patchwork in front of Shimokitazawa Station in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. This small strip has been popular for many years but is destined to disappear as early as this autumn.

"It used to be crowded with so many customers it was hard to walk along the street," said Yu Hirota, who operates the clothing shop Americaya, recalling the old days.