Shopping Street · Kitahama / Motomachi

Takegawara Koji Arcade 竹瓦小路アーケード

Wooden-roofed shopping alley completed in 1921 and said to be Japan's oldest surviving arcade, linking Takegawara Onsen to the main street and lit by bamboo lanterns at night.

HoursPassage open 24 hours; shops roughly 10:00-18:00

PriceFree

Getting thereBeppu Station, 10 min walk

Time needed20-30 minutes

Best timeEvening

Address1 Motomachi, Beppu, Oita

About

This narrow covered passage, its timber roof trusses blackened with age, was built in 1921 so bathers could walk to Takegawara Onsen dry in the rain, and it's considered the oldest existing arcade in Japan. Today it's part of a web of Showa-era shopping streets (Yayoi Tengu-dori, Solpaseo Ginza) around Beppu Station with secondhand shops, tiny cafes, art spaces from the Beppu Project and old sweet shops. At night the bamboo-craft lanterns glow, and it's a moody shortcut to the bars of Kitahama.

Highlights

Japan's oldest surviving arcade, completed 1921
Original timber roof structure
Bamboo lanterns at night
Gateway to Takegawara Onsen and the Showa back alleys

Tips

Best photographed at night when the lanterns are lit
Many small shops close by 18:00 and on Wednesdays
Continue to Yayoi Tengu-dori and Solpaseo Ginza arcades for retro shops
Combine with a soak at Takegawara Onsen

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Takegawara Koji Arcade 竹瓦小路アーケード

About

Highlights

Tips

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