Don't you think that only you can do at the shopping arcade is to purchase souvenirs? If you visit the shopping arcades all over Japan, you will meet local people, learn about Japanese clothing, food, and housing, and experience the best of history and culture.
A shopping arcade is a place where many small shops are lined up across the street, where you can find everything you need for daily staff such as food and daily necessities. Japanese life used to be centered around the shopping arcade in decades ago.
However, large shopping malls were built and getting popular these days, many local shopping arcades are losing their old dynamism.
Although such a historical background has been seen in many places, there are shopping arcades that are full of many people every day!

Here, you will see what kind of shopping arcades are attracting attention by dividing them into 3 main attractions.

The first attraction is to "Enjoy Local Food". For example, there is a shopping arcade with fresh seafood specialty shops near the sea, and you can enjoy the atmosphere of a fish market while eating and walking around the purchased seafood.
In addition, you can enjoy the old-fashioned taste that has been handed down for generations in the district where stores remain since decades ago.
Once you step in such an area, you will feel as if you are going back in time and experiencing the old Japan. Also, there are shopping arcades where all the stores are izakayas (Japanese pub). These shopping arcades are quiet during the day time, but when the sun goes down, the lights of the shop begin to turn on suddenly, and you will hear the voices of people enjoying meals!
Furthermore, there is a shopping arcade where stores sell only kitchen tools.
International tourists often visit the arcade to purchase Japanese dishes and knives.

The second attraction is "Specialty Stores" that sell unique staff.
For example, a shopping arcade, where young people visit, gathers a lot of trendy clothes and miscellaneous goods, and a shopping arcade, where elderly people visit, gathers shops according to the age.
There are also shopping streets that specialize in hobbies such as specialty stores for "otaku", anime and game lovers.

The last attraction is "Uniqueness".
Every shopping arcade reflects the local culture and atmosphere.
Shopping arcades are located around/close to landmarks so that visitors can easy to access and come for souvenirs. For example, the shopping arcade located on the way to popular shrine is one of them and will keep you excited all the way to the spot you want to visit.

Japanese life itself is appearing in the shopping district. You will never know how deeply connect the city and people unless you visit the place.
Let's go to the shopping district to discover more interesting Japanese things!