About Our Arcade

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About Our Arcade

Located in the central Yatsushiro City occupied with many administrative buildings and medical centers, Yatsushiro Shopping Arcade spreads all across the Honmachi and Toricho districts of the city. It is largely formed by the four executive shopping arcade promotion groups of those districts.
730 meters in length, the Shopping Arcade with a plaza features over 150 establishments from restaurants, clothing stores, and more. Many gather here from in and out of town especially for events like the nighttime market.
All promotional planning and activities for revitalizing the Shopping Arcade area are undertakings of the "Machinaka" revitalization committee, made up of the aforementioned shopping arcade promotion groups.

Surrounding highlight spots

Yatsushiro Castle

Mugishima Castle having severely been damaged from an earthquake, shogun Kato Masataka built Yatsushiro Castle here in the region in 1622. It subsequently brought about the booming castle town in and around the immediate surrounding area.
The city infrastructure here today is almost entirely based on that of that time period. Having been exempted from the Ikkoku Ichijo Rei ("one castle for one domain") ordinance, the Castle welcomed Hosokawa Tadaoki following the domain ruling by the Kato clan. It was then occupied by the Matsui clan all the way up to the Meiji Restoration period.
Erected here at the old site of the honmaru main tower is Yatsushirogu Shrine consecrating Prince Kaneyoshi as its main Shinto deity.
Shohinken

This former tea house was built in 1688 by the third ruler of Yatsushiro Castle, Matsui Naoyuki, as a retirement home for his aging mother. The hut with beautifully constructed Karaha-style entryway originally stood on the beach overlooking the Sea of Yatsushiro at that time.
Now called Shohinken, the location is open to the public for viewing. It continues to draw a high volume of visitors during special events such as tea ceremonies and Higo iris blossom seasons, making it a popular tourist destination of Yatsushiro City.
Shrines and Temples

Our Shopping Arcade is also home to many shrines and temples. The "Machinaka" revitalization committee and local organizations are actively involved in various tourism projects utilizing the resident sanctums as historical and cultural resources for the Arcade district.
Yatsushiro Myoken Festival

Yatsushiro City's biggest outing of the year, Yatsushiro Myoken Festival is known for its lavish Shinto procession with festive float, lion dog, sacred horse, kasaboko, turtle-snake mythical creature, and others. Also one of the three largest festivals in Kyushu, the city-wide ceremonial outing hauls in about 130,000 spectators every year.
The night before is celebrated with "goya" featuring various booths and kiosks set up by local groups and individuals, as they serve sake to city residents and visitors to the area during the nighttime market at the Shopping Arcade.

Main Events

Honmachi Saturday Market

The most popular summer event of the Shopping Arcade.
A high number of visitors flock here during the event period every year between mid July and mid August for its unique and family-friendly attractions such as games, concerts, movies, and others all set up throughout the Shopping Arcade area.
Castle Town Yatsushiro Doll Festival

Castle Town Yatsushiro Doll Festival goes on from February to March featuring various hina doll displays including those passed down through generations of the Matsui Yatsushiro-ruling clan in the region. Our Shopping Arcade will host a "rest area" with hina dolls and various accessories handcrafted by members of a local women's organization. Each resident shops and establishment will also feature their own display of hina dolls as well. The streets of the Arcade will be filled with visitors from in and out of town during this festive season.