A couple weeks ago, I had to go to a shopping arcade in a neighboring city to run some errands. Since I enjoyed exploring the shopping arcade, I took some photos. Today, I'd like to share them with you.
This arcade has two different flower shops. The first shop sells only cut flowers.
The second shop was selling seedlings. I almost bought one, but since I still had more errands to run, I decided not to.
On the left, you can see a large sign for a takoyaki shop, a local specialty in Osaka.
This might be interesting for you. It's a standing udon (Japanese noodle) stall with no tables and chairs. You have to eat while standing. The style is called tachigui in Japanese. We used to have these kinds of udon or soba (another Japanese noodle) stalls in JR (JR is a large railway company in Japan. It has many train lines all over Japan) train stations when I was a kid. They’re cheap, quick, and convenient. I’ve had a similar experience in Italy, where many cafes serve cappuccino in a standing style.
This stall must be popular because people were waiting in a line.
The picture below shows a butcher. The sign said it's been in business since the first year (1868) of Meiji period. The history must be over 150 years. I sometimes buy beef for grilling here. They certainly serve high quality meat.
The arcade also has several small alleys. When I walked through them, I noticed that most of the shops were closed.
I came across a charming, old-fashioned cafe! The sign said "Coffee Only", so their coffee must be excellent! I'd love to try it.
I also discovered a Chinese tangbao shop! Since I'm a huge fan of xiaolongbao, I definitely want to buy some when I get there next time.
Walking around shopping arcades is always fun because you never know what new shops you’ll discover!
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I love the bright style of Japanese stall signs. Thank you for sharing!
Some of my favorite places are in shopping arcades. They're really cool to me!
I enjoyed Wim Wender's lastest film 'Perfect Days.' Set in Tokiyo, the main character takes his meals in a 'tachigui.' It seemed to me a very busy place to eat but he enjoyed its friendly atmosphere. For relaxation, he also ate his sandwhiches in the park & enjoyed glimpses of 'satori' whilst watching the light playing in the trees. In France, there is currently a very popular book called 'La Chambre des Merveilles' by Julien Sandrel (film coming soon), in which a couple of Parisiens dare each other to eat the most exotic dishes in a noodle bar in Tokiyo - very funny to the french palette!
FYI, note the use of parentheses as an aside in the above comment.
@via-chan Thank you as always for reading, correcting and commenting!
@JPNsally Same here! I love looking around shopping arcades too!
@Adam123 Thank you for sharing some information. I'll check out the movie. Thank you for sharing the French information as well!
I wonder if using the word "arcade" is used more in other places in the world to describe this sort of shopping experience--in my experience in the western US, "arcade" makes me think only of what the Japanese would call ゲームセンター.
Then again, we don't really have this exact shopping experience here. However, I think "outdoor shopping mall" would give me the right idea.
Hi, @Ersatzjello. When I showed my previous entry about the shopping arcade, my friend from Texas said exactly what you wrote. He also said someone might say "outdoor shopping mall" would also fit. Then I showed him the Wikipedia page on shopping arcade, he told me I could call all of these shopping arcades. So I totally understand what you wrote. Thanks for reading and commenting! If you go to Teramachi, you'll experience three arcades, Teramachi arcades, Kyogoku arcades and Nishiki markets. Since I recently visited Nihiki, I'll write about it soon!
My previous entry here: https://journaly.com/post/43814
Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_%28architecture%29
In the UK we use Arcade to mean the place to play coin operated video games. We also say "shopping arcade" for the places described in this post. In our "puzzle club" we recently did a puzzle of this image: https://paulmacrolandscapes.com/product/norwich-royal-arcade-at-christmas/
@t4up3 Thank you so much for the comment. It's always fascinating to learn about British English or culture. The puzzle looks very nice! It's Norwich! Do you live there? Last year I went there to visit my British friend. I love Norwich!
By the way, Shopping arcade is 商店街 （しょうてんがい shoutengai) in Japanese.
Yes. It is Norwich. I don't live there but I do live in that region. There are quite a few interesting places around here (including the National Trust properties).
@t4up3 Thank you for letting me know. I guess your area must be very pretty! Since I visited my British friend last year, I've been a huge fan of the UK! When I'll visit him next time, I'll let you know. We might be able to meet in person!