History, character — and, sure enough, tanuki too.
Tanukikoji Shopping Street TEXT/KAGEHIRO WATANABE, PHOTO/NAOKO TAKAHASHIRestaurants, souvenir shops, even a movie theater, an off-track betting parlor, and vocational schools — you might picture Tanukikoji as small and cozy, but in fact, it has just about everything. That’s Tanukikoji Shopping Street. It got its start in the Meiji era. As soon as the Kaitakushi (Colonization Commission) was established in Sapporo, shops began springing up around what is now Tanukikoji 2- and 3-chome, and by around Meiji 6 (1873), the area had come to be known as “Tanukikoji.” Today, it stretches roughly 900m across Blocks 1 through 7, lined with about 200 shops. With such a distinctive collection of shops gathered together, you can find yourself at Block 7 in no time just from window-shopping along the way. It’s a covered arcade, too, directly connected to Sapporo Station via the underground concourse — so rain or snow, you’re covered.
There aren't actually any tanuki (raccoon dogs) in Sapporo, yet somehow it's called "Tanukikoji." In Block 5 stands Honjin Tanuki Daimyojin, built to mark the district's 100th anniversary — commonly known as Tanuki Shrine. Rubbing it is said to bring eight kinds of good fortune. The "Hatsu-danuki Festival" is held at New Year's, and the "Tanuki Hattoku Reitaisai" in summer — it has fully taken on the role of the neighborhood's guardian deity. Another Tanukikoji event familiar to locals is the "cash grab," where participants literally grab as much cash as they can — an event with a long history, said to have started back in 1949, not long after the war.
A shopping street that carries a nostalgic air, despite sitting right in the heart of a major city like Sapporo. "Nakagawa Shoten," opened in 1902, and known today as "Nakagawa Lighter Shop," was long the face of this district. But as times change, Sapporo changes too, and Tanukikoji along with it. Nakagawa Lighter Shop, beloved by locals, is set to close its doors as of January 2015, bringing an end to more than 100 years of history. Its closing is a loss, but the shopping street will surely keep evolving, little by little, for years to come.
Tanukikoji Shopping Street
Minami 2/3-jo Nishi 1–7-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
www.tanukikoji.or.jp
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