Youth Cultural Center Amerika-mura

Amerika-mura is an area just west of the Shinsaibashi shopping district that has for over 40 years been a well-known center of Japanese youth culture. Within this small area there are over 2,000 stores selling local and imported fashions, cafes, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Everything is centered on Sankaku Koen Park, a triangular concrete plaza and popular local hang-out where young people gather to show off their unique styles and discover the latest trends. Back in the 1960s the area was called Sumiyamachi (literally “Charcoal Shop Town”) and was mainly filled with warehouses, and lumber yards. Then one evening in 1969, a young interior designer named Mariko Higiri was sitting in Sankaku Koen drinking a can of coffee when she had a sudden brainwave. Wouldn’t it be great, she thought, to have a place where people could drink coffee till late at night? She decided to open her own café in a building just across from the park, and the café, called Loop, quickly began to gather young artists, designers, and other creative people. People began to convert the local warehouses into stores selling imported American goods. #christmasgiveaway #christmaslights #unforgettableexperiences #nyedestinations