🗺️ Yozu Shopping Street油津商店街

Aburatsu Shopping Street is one of the largest shopping streets in the southern part of Miyazaki Prefecture. However, in recent years, it has faced a significant decline in foot traffic, leading to a deterioration of this once-thriving area. Since the full implementation of initiatives to revitalize traditional shopping districts and promote regional development in 2013, the shopping street, which had many shops closed and was often shuttered during the day, has undergone a remarkable transformation and has become a successful model for the rebirth of shopping streets in Japan. In 2016, it was selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as one of the "30 Struggling Shopping Streets." Many new shops that emerged during the reconstruction period have become new attractions, injecting fresh vitality into the shopping street. For example, there is "ABURATSU COFFEE," a café transformed from a popular local tea shop; "ABURATSU Shokudo," a restaurant offering various cuisines including Japanese, Chinese, and teppanyaki; and "ABURATSU GARDEN," among others. Additionally, by introducing new industries such as IT companies, the traditional shopping street has evolved into a complex facility that integrates shopping, leisure, and welfare functions. The Aburatsu area is also home to many historical sites that can be explored. Among them are an artificial canal built during the early Edo period under the rule of the Ito clan of the Obi domain, which was used for transporting shipbuilding timber known as "Obi cedar," and historical remnants such as red brick warehouses from the Taisho era.

You can experience the charm of the Yozu Shopping Street, which serves as a demonstration case for the revitalization of shopping streets. It features a variety of restaurants offering local specialty dishes. There are also many tourist attractions nearby that you can visit along the way.