There are more than 10 Korean barbecue restaurants standing along the alleys behind the multitenant buildings in front of the Konan Exit of Shinagawa Station.

It had been prohibited in Japan to eat the meat of four-footed animals like beef and pork, because Buddhist belief banned believers from killing them.  In the second half of the 19^th century, however, edible meat supply became imperative particularly in Tokyo, hand in hand with the increasing number of the population from Western countries.  Then central government of Japan accordingly constructed the first full-scale slaughterhouse in Imazato, Shirogane, Tokyo, in 1867.  Thereafter, additional slaughterhouses were constructed in Tokyo, whose total number reached 10 at the peak, including both public and private facilities.

As slaughterhouses are not welcomed by neighbors in general, the authorities abolished these ones to integrate to one big one in 1938.  This is present Shinagawa slaughterhouse.  The vicinity of Shinagawa Station is a busy area now, but the area was very sparsely inhabited at that time.  The first photo shows the multitenant buildings in front of the Konan Exit of Shinagawa Station.  The second photo is the other side of these buildings, where alleys run intricately.  These alleys are lined with many Korean barbecue restaurants serving a variety of the internal organs of the four-footed animals slaughtered at the nearby institution.

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