March 23, 2003
Maeji Shotengai Megumi and I
Maeji Shotengai
Megumi and I live just off a 'shotengai', which is a sort of old-fashioned shopping arcade. Some are covered, ours is not. Instead of going to the supermarket, many people still buy meat from the local butcher, fish from the fishmonger, vegetables from the greengrocer. Or, at least I assume they do. In the 500m or so of Maeji Shotengai I walk each day, there are 3 shops selling fruit and veg, 2 selling meat, and 2 selling fresh fish. There are also 2 pharmacies, a flower shop, 2 liquor stores/off licenses, and countless tiny little bars and 'snacks' (more of those on another day).
Now, I don't know so much about business, but I'm pretty sure that there are not enough people living in our area who frequent these stores to make ALL of them profitable. Megumi said that many of these 'businesses' are just hobbies to keep older family members busy!
Which leads to the question...How Many Family Businesses in Japan actually lose money..?
Anyway, here are a couple of sepia shots of my street - one thing I forgot to mention was that many of these shops have living quarters at the back of the shop. or above it.
Old House
Fishmongers'
