Shōtengai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A shōtengai (商店街) is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic. A typical shōtengai includes most of these:

• supermarkets and grocery shops
• restaurants, cafés and kissaten
• izakaya and snacks (Japanese style bars frequented by men and usually staffed by women)
• pachinko parlors
• massage parlors
• barber shops
• game centers
• post offices
• book shops
• clothes shops
• convenience stores
• koban (police boxes)