If people from overseas ask me where the most unique place in Japan is, I would probably recommend visiting shopping arcades because they'll see many of typical Japanese mom-and-pop stores. It's also fun to watch Japanese people walking around under the arcades. I think that's why Nishiki Market in Kyoto is extremely popular among foreign tourists. However, I would recommend visiting smaller, less-known shopping arcades because they don't see other tourists.
Today, I'm pleased to take a tour of my local shopping arcade. A couple weeks ago, I went there to run some errands. Japanese shopping arcades are deeply rooted in the daily lives of the people who live in the area. Unlike the elegant shopping arcades in Milan, Italy, these arcades don’t have brand-name stores. They aren't sophisticated at all, but that’s part of their charm.
While walking straight, you'll see a red sign on the left (the picture below) and it's the largest drug store in this arcade.
The next shop is a Karaoke place. You can sing whatever you want there at 10 am.
Keep going, and you'll come across a classic mom-and-pop shop right across from the karaoke place.
Of course, we've been influenced by American culture! We love McDonald's!!
These shopping arcades almost always have one or two kimono shops because most of their costumers are elderly people.
The butcher shop (the picture below) is located right across from MacDonald's.
By now, you may have noticed that many shops have closed. Unfortunately, these shopping arcades don't have parking lots and they are rather close to public transportation hubs. Most of them were built in the Showa period, when people relied on trains and buses rather than cars. Today, their primary costumers are elderly people, and many shop owners are elderly as well. Their children often don't take over their family business because they don't see a bright future in it. Sadly, these traditional shopping arcades are slowly disappearing.
When I was a kid, my hometown Otsu in Shiga Prefecture used to have three of them, but now more than half of the shops have closed. It makes me feel very sad.
Nowadays, people prefer more convenient ways to shop such as online shops. Department stores, shopping moles and shopping arcades are gradually becoming outdated.
At the end, I'll introduce some very classic mom-and-pop stores such as a fish shop, a dried food shop, a greengrocer and a meat shop.
In my prefecture, we have the longest shopping arcade in Japan, and I’d love to introduce it to you sometime soon!
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@yumiyumayume : I believe that commercial galleries are in decline due to demographic changes and an ageing population. Here, in Spain, they are not yet in a process of decline because we come from a trade of small neighbourhood shops. Even so, we are beginning to see the decline in e-commerce.
What will happen? Nobody knows, but we are beginning to glimpse a world of tariff protectionism that will have a powerful influence on our lives when it comes to buying goods and services.
I feel the same way as you. I don’t think these shops will continue once their owners pass away. In the near future, it will likely become even harder to keep them running, and online stores will probably take their place.