What was supposed to be a day spent savoring the delights of Motomachi Shopping Street for our Timeout Yokohama feature soon took on the nature of a quest.
The objective? To find out why this 500-meter stretch of old-fashioned, road-fronted shops is thriving at a time when similar streets nationwide are falling victim to the twin curses of depopulation and huge new shopping centers — in many cases leading to their shops' shutters coming down for good.
The question occurred to me as I quizzed shoppers on why they chose to spend their money at Motomachi. Surely the nearby, climate-controlled (and oddly named) consumer paradises of Landmark Plaza, Queen's Square, World Porters, Leaf Minato Mirai — or even the Sogo department store — offered more comfortable, more convenient alternatives?