Amu Plaza Kagoshima
Encyclopedia
is the terminal building adjacent to Kagoshima-Chūō Station
. It is owned by the Kagoshima Terminal Building Corporation which belongs to JR Kyūshū.
Amu Plaza Kagoshima has about 190 shops. When it opened on the 17th of September 2004, its floor space was the largest in Kagoshima, surpassing the Yamakataya department store. It was superseded in 2007 by Aeon Kagoshima Shopping Centre.
The name Amu comes from the English “amuse”. The symbol of the store is a balancing toy.
The building was finished by the time the Kyūshū Shinkansen
railway between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima Chūō opened on 13 March 2004, but Amu Plaza opened on September 17, about six months later.
The exterior colour is light pink. It is north of the east gate of Kagoshima-Chūō Station. The area connecting the station and Amu is known as Amu Square and is used for events. The Square also has Amu Vision, a large outdoor television screen, and Amu Studio, a satellite studio of FM Kagoshima. A Ferris wheel
, Amuran, can be found on top of the building. It can be seen from most areas of Kagoshima city and has since become the new landmark of the city.
boxed lunches are sold. There is a food court
, restaurant street, and a supermarket. It consists of food and other shops. There are also shops selling shōchū
and sweets for tourists.
, the precursor of JR, made this plan public. In 1990 it was decided that JR and local department store, Yamakataya, would be the co-tenants. However, these plans were abandoned because of the business climate. In the end, a new plan was adopted in which JR would build its own station building with shops.
JR was going to open Amu Plaza before the Shinkansen
line opened the shinkansen start, but this was delayed by six months. Construction of the building started on March 18, 2003, and it was completed in January 2004, when the list of tenant stores was announced. Amu Plaza Kagoshima opened on September 17, 2010. About 2,000 people are employed in Amu Plaza Kagoshima.
Combined sales for 2004 to 2005 were 19.1 billion yen, and the number of visitors was 11.4 million, an average of 31,000 people a day.
In 2007, Aeon Kagoshima Shopping Centre opened with the biggest floor space in Kagoshima, and Amu Plaza sales fell.
. Besides the revitalization in Tenmonkan, other commercial areas have developed more and more.
However, the cinemas in Tenmonkan closed following the opening of the Mitte10 multiplex in Amu Plaza. The number of people around Tenmonkan in 2006 decreased by 9-17% after the opening of Amu Plaza. Influenced by this, Yamakataya department store renovated some of its floors.
On the other hand, when Aeon Kagoshima Shopping Centre opened, Amu Plaza and Tenmonkan decided to compete together against Aeon because of their relative proximity compared to Aeon; Aeon is located further away. Since 5 December 2009, collaborative events have been held by districts both in Tenmonkan and Kagoshima-Chūō Station. The number of visitors to Ichibangai shopping arcade located next to Kagoshima-Chūō station district increased by 20-30% due to the collaboration. However, in 2006 it decreased by 13-37% compared to before the opening of Amu Plaza.
Kagoshima-Chuo Station
is the main railway station in Kagoshima, Japan. It is the southern terminus of the Kyūshū Shinkansen and is located on the Kagoshima Main Line, and Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line...
. It is owned by the Kagoshima Terminal Building Corporation which belongs to JR Kyūshū.
Amu Plaza Kagoshima has about 190 shops. When it opened on the 17th of September 2004, its floor space was the largest in Kagoshima, surpassing the Yamakataya department store. It was superseded in 2007 by Aeon Kagoshima Shopping Centre.
The name Amu comes from the English “amuse”. The symbol of the store is a balancing toy.
The building was finished by the time the Kyūshū Shinkansen
Kyushu Shinkansen
The ' is a Japanese high-speed railway line between the Japanese cities of Fukuoka and Kagoshima in Kyushu, running parallel to the existing Kagoshima Main Line and operated by the Kyushu Railway Company . The southern 127 km opened on 13 March 2004...
railway between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima Chūō opened on 13 March 2004, but Amu Plaza opened on September 17, about six months later.
The exterior colour is light pink. It is north of the east gate of Kagoshima-Chūō Station. The area connecting the station and Amu is known as Amu Square and is used for events. The Square also has Amu Vision, a large outdoor television screen, and Amu Studio, a satellite studio of FM Kagoshima. A Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, Amuran, can be found on top of the building. It can be seen from most areas of Kagoshima city and has since become the new landmark of the city.
The basement: Kagoshima Daily Market
Liquor, sweets, and bentoBento
is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...
boxed lunches are sold. There is a food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
, restaurant street, and a supermarket. It consists of food and other shops. There are also shops selling shōchū
Shochu
is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as brown sugar, buckwheat or chestnut. Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume...
and sweets for tourists.
- Amu Food Cube- This is a food court. There is eating and drink space surrounded by self-service restaurants.
- Kagoshima aji no komichi- restaurant street of famous shops selling Kagoshima specialities.
- Shōchūishin kan- The shop selling mainly real shōchū – another Kagoshima speciality.
- UniqloUNIQLOis a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer.The company was originally a division of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.. On November 1, 2005, it was restructured as a separate wholly owned subsidiary called Uniqlo Co., Ltd. , which is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock...
- MujiMUJI, or is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods.Muji is distinguished by its design minimalism, emphasis on recycling, avoidance of waste in production and packaging, and no-logo or "no-brand" policy....
- Kaldi Coffee Farm (imported food and coffee beans)
1st Floor: Grand Stylish Square
Shops: Cosmetic items, clothes, bags, shoes, etc. This floor links to Fresta Kagoshima, the shops in Kagoshima-Chūō Station.- BeamsBeamsBeams is a Japanese clothing brand, established in 1976, whose chief executive officer is Yo Shitara. Besides stores in many places in Japan, they have branch offices in New York, Milan, London, and Paris....
- United Arrows Green Label Relaxing
- The Body ShopThe Body ShopThe Body Shop International plc, known as The Body Shop, has 2,400 stores in 61 countries, and is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world, following O Boticario, a Brazilian company...
2nd Floor: Pop Mode Street
Ladies clothes and accessories shops. This floor links to Kagoshima-Chūō Station concourse.- FrancfrancFrancfrancis a Japanese home furnishing store operating under the BALS Corporation. The products are designed with a "simple & stylish" concept. As of 2006, there were more than 90 stores in Japan, operating under three different brands: "Francfranc Design for Life", "Francfrancfranc", and Francfranc Bazar"....
3rd Floor: Active Generation Street
Men's and ladies clothes and accessories- Levi's station (Levi's shop)
4th Floor: Modern Life Factory
Book store, CD shop, musical instrument retailer, beauty salon, cooking classroom and eye clinic- HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
History
Plans to construct a station building near Kagoshima-Chūō Station had begun in the 1980s. In 1984, Kagoshima city council and Japanese National RailwaysJapanese National Railways
, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...
, the precursor of JR, made this plan public. In 1990 it was decided that JR and local department store, Yamakataya, would be the co-tenants. However, these plans were abandoned because of the business climate. In the end, a new plan was adopted in which JR would build its own station building with shops.
JR was going to open Amu Plaza before the Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
line opened the shinkansen start, but this was delayed by six months. Construction of the building started on March 18, 2003, and it was completed in January 2004, when the list of tenant stores was announced. Amu Plaza Kagoshima opened on September 17, 2010. About 2,000 people are employed in Amu Plaza Kagoshima.
Combined sales for 2004 to 2005 were 19.1 billion yen, and the number of visitors was 11.4 million, an average of 31,000 people a day.
In 2007, Aeon Kagoshima Shopping Centre opened with the biggest floor space in Kagoshima, and Amu Plaza sales fell.
Local reaction
The average total number of passengers on Kagoshima city tram between Kagoshima-Chūō Station and Tenmonkan in a day has increased. The number of regular shoppers to Kagoshima city has increased because of the success in gaining lots of people from the widespread areas, especially from Satsumasendai and IzumiIzumi
, meaning "spring" , is a common Japanese given name, family name and place name. While a unisex name, it is more commonly used by women...
. Besides the revitalization in Tenmonkan, other commercial areas have developed more and more.
However, the cinemas in Tenmonkan closed following the opening of the Mitte10 multiplex in Amu Plaza. The number of people around Tenmonkan in 2006 decreased by 9-17% after the opening of Amu Plaza. Influenced by this, Yamakataya department store renovated some of its floors.
On the other hand, when Aeon Kagoshima Shopping Centre opened, Amu Plaza and Tenmonkan decided to compete together against Aeon because of their relative proximity compared to Aeon; Aeon is located further away. Since 5 December 2009, collaborative events have been held by districts both in Tenmonkan and Kagoshima-Chūō Station. The number of visitors to Ichibangai shopping arcade located next to Kagoshima-Chūō station district increased by 20-30% due to the collaboration. However, in 2006 it decreased by 13-37% compared to before the opening of Amu Plaza.