Shinsaibashi-suji

Shinsaibashi-suji runs about 580 m north to south, from the south side of Nagahori-dori to Soemoncho-dori. Counting the two large department stores of Daimaru Shinsaibashi, some 180 businesses stand along it, from clothing shops to restaurants. Its growth goes back to the Edo period, when the street was mostly bookshops and secondhand bookshops, prop dealers, koto and shamisen shops and kimono shops. From the Meiji period more stylish stores appeared: retailers of imported goods, watch shops, kimono shops. In the Taisho and Showa periods the kimono shops turned into department stores, Western-style shops increased along with the arcade, and young people out shopping, known as the Shinbura set, took to strolling the street, as they still do. The street association also runs a Yukata Festival and puts effort into seasonal events, and Shinsaibashi-suji, where shops centuries old sit among clothing stores carrying the newest trends, is recovering its appeal.

Translated and shortened from the Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City tourist listings (観光施設一覧, CC BY 4.0).