Takamatsu Arcade (Marugame-machi)

photo by Ｔ／Ｙ · Public domain

photo by ja:User:Newsliner · CC BY-SA 3.0

2.7 km of covered arcade, the longest in Japan, with a dome 32 metres high.

Eight shopping streets run for 2.7 km, almost all of them covered: a thousand shops and restaurants, 130,000 people on weekdays and 140,000 at the weekend. At the crossing of Hyōgo-machi and Marugame-machi, a 32.2-metre glass dome, in the style of Milan's Galleria, is the tallest of any arcade in Japan. Marugame-machi, now a national case study in urban regeneration, receives over 13,000 visits a year from observers.

Its origins go back to 1588, when Ikoma Chikamasa, while building Takamatsu Castle, moved the merchants of the town of Marugame here, hence the street's name. The glass dome at the crossing with Hyōgo-machi dates from December 2006. Since 2006 Marugame-machi has also been at the centre of private-sector urban regeneration.

ℹ️ Covered pedestrian street, always accessible and free. Individual shops keep their own hours, generally 10:00–19:00/20:00.

🚉 Takamatsu-Chikko · 8 min walk

Sources: mediall.jp · ja.wikipedia.org

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