The introduction of food stalls to a run-down shopping street in Osaka may prove to be just a temporary, nostalgia-driven attempt at urban renewal.
But with tourists flocking back to the country in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and locals back on the streets, the once-thriving commercial district is hoping to cash in on an opportunity to reinvent the area in the western Japan city, famous for its history as a mercantile center.
The operators of the stalls have enlivened the narrow Shinsekai Market downtown shopping arcade that stretches out from the foot of the landmark Tsutenkaku Tower.