Entering Commune 246, Minami Aoyama, TokyoOmotesando is the centerpiece of the ultra-trendy Harajuku/Aoyama district. Omotesando intersects with Aoyama-dori which connects the area to Shibuya a little over a kilometer to the south-west. Very near the intersection, and just off Aoyama-dori is a colorful jumble of more or less permanently set up food and drink booths and stands called Commune 246.

The fairground look of Commune 246 is only what meets the eye. Besides the great-tasting - and often vegetarian/vegan - fare on offer is a big clear plastic dome that makes for a very fun place to eat inside, the prefab-style Midori.so2 Gallery that hosts cutting-edge art exhibitions, a "free university" talk space, and even Caravan Tokyo, a trailer home for hire as a hotel, that make it truly "community" as opposed to just commercial. Commune 246's catchphrase is "Curate the City."
But, for the casual - and especially the non-Japanese speaking - visitor, Commune 246's food options will be the main attraction.

Commune 246 entrance, Minami Aoyama, Tokyo.Schmatz - subtitled "Fresh German Food" and "Beer Dining" offers a selection of German beers along with hearty but imaginatively created fusion-style morsels to accompany it like Schitzel Parmigiana (pork schnitzel with parmesan and tomato sauce), salmon carpaccio and wild boar sausages, to name just a few. Schmatz hours 11:30 am to 10 pm.

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