Isezakichō

Isezakichō (伊勢佐木町) is a district of Naka Ward in Yokohama, Japan, consisting mainly of the Isezakichō Shopping Street (伊勢佐木町商店街, Isezakichō shōtengai). The shopping street is 1.2 km long, running from Isezakicho 1-chōme (-１丁目, -icchōme) in the northeast, to Isezakicho 7-chōme (-７丁目, -nanachōme) in the southwest.

Isezakicho is a district in Yokohama. For the city in Gunma Prefecture, see Isesaki, Gunma.
Entrance to Isezakichō from Bashamichi Street

Isezaki Mall is a special designation given to the 1-chōme (１丁目, icchōme) and 2-chōme (２丁目, nichōme) portions only, which is a car-free zone. The largest shops and businesses are in the Isezaki Mall area in the northeast end, closer to Kannai Station. As you walk along the Isezakicho Shopping Street towards 7-chōme in the southwest end, the shops become gradually smaller and the pedestrian traffic tapers off. On the other end, walking past the northeast end of Isezakicho, across towards Kannai Station, the street continues into the Bashamichi Street.

Until the 1960s, Isezakicho was the only large shopping area in Yokohama catering to local residents. But that was before Motomachi and the Yokohama Station area became more popular. Motomachi had previously catered mainly to foreign residents, while the Yokohama Station developed into a large shopping area only in the 1970s. Today, Isezakicho continues to be one of the major shopping areas of Yokohama.

Major Attractions
  • Yurindo Bookstore, Main Location
  • Fujiya (This is the 2nd Fujiya restaurant ever opened. The 1st store in Motomachi no longer exists.)

Trivia
  • J-pop duo Yuzu used to perform live, in front of the Matsuzakaya Department Store, before their debut in 1997.
  • Isezakicho Blues, a 1968 song by the late Mina Aoe, was a popular song in Japan.
  • The video-game Ryū ga Gotoku 7 (called Yakuza: Like a Dragon in the West) is set in Isezaki Ijinchō which was based on Isezakichō.

References
  • This article was translated from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on September 10, 2006, and with a few minor changes.


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