Yamakataya Department Store

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

Its 1916 lift, imported from America, was the first of its kind in the city.

Founded in 1751 as a fabric shop, the store opened its first modern building in 1916, in Renaissance style and reinforced concrete, with a lift imported from the United States: cutting-edge technology for the time. The building burned down in the wartime bombing and was rebuilt floor by floor in the fifties; an exterior restoration completed between 1998 and 1999 returned the façade to its original Renaissance style, rooftop dome included.

Founded in 1751 by a merchant from Yamagata Prefecture, hence the name, it became a joint-stock company in 1917 and is today the oldest and best-known department store in southern Kyūshū, with four stores across Kagoshima and Miyazaki. The restaurant inside has served the same yakisoba dish since 1958.

ℹ️ Open 10:00–19:00. Located in the heart of the Tenmonkan district.

🚉 Kinsei-chou · 2 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · yamakataya.co.jp

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