Location: the street parallel to Kokusai, in the direction towards the water (ie, not the covered market) north of the Kumoji intersection / Kenchoumae train station
Hours: variable, best at meal time with lots of nightlife options
Kokusai street is too touristy and carnivalesque for our liking. All the snakes in jars of liquor, the goya benches, the multiple variation on the theme of steakhouse... However, it is worth exploring the cross-streets heading to the parallel street on top on Kokusai. There are interesting shops, smaller restaurants and izakayas, cafes, and a jazz club. Just a block away, you get away from the groups of tourists, the touts, the trinket shops. A few places spotted:
Favourite cafe: http://cafe07.ti-da.net/e2062031.html
Right next door to Favourite Cafe there is a gelati shop.
Down the street is Cafest M & H (Japanese page can be found on GNavi website) which does croque madame/monsieur:
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://r.gnavi.co.jp/f324900/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dyomitan%2Bmonogatari%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DHPIA,HPIA:2006-18,HPIA:en
