View of Mount Fuji used to revitalize abandoned shopping street in Yamanashi Prefecture; retains retro vibe

FUJIYOSHIDA, Yamanashi — A local government in Yamanashi Prefecture has launched a new subsidy scheme to revitalize a deserted shopping district, capitalizing on an influx of foreign tourists who flock to the area to enjoy the stunning views of Mount Fuji.

The Honcho-dori shopping street in the central part of Fujiyoshida in the prefecture is lined with empty shop spaces, but at the same time large numbers of foreign tourists visit this place to see the spectacular Mount Fuji.

The city council has set up a system to provide subsidies to those who want to open shops or eateries in the shopping street, in order to use the landscape’s appeal to foreign tourists to revitalise the area.

Under the new system, nearly 20 new stores, including restaurants and souvenir shops, are preparing to open on the Honcho-dori shopping street in the central part of Fujiyoshida in the prefecture. The city government wants to develop the shopping street into a hub of tourism-related industries in the city.

Honcho-dori is also known as Fuji-michi, or Fuji Road, because the street seems to stretch straight up to Mount Fuji. Until the mid-1960s, the area was a bustling commercial district, even with a movie theater. But the area gradually eroded. Today, the area is filled with more than 100 empty houses and closed shops.

In recent years, however, the shopping street has become a social media phenomenon, as people say they can take great photos there: retro items that evoke the atmosphere of half a century ago, such as old shop signs and chochin lanterns, with Mount Fuji in the background.

Recently, the street has started attracting more than 4,000 visitors per day. The city government has begun to revitalize the shopping street full of closed shops by using the large number of tourists, especially foreigners, to develop the local community.

In June last year, a company was established to promote the revitalization of the local community. In October last year, the city government began a program to provide subsidies of up to ¥5 million to business entities and individuals who want to start new businesses in closed stores on or around the shopping street.

To date, a total of 19 grant applications have been submitted, with 18 expected to be approved. Plans are in place for a wide range of businesses, including restaurants, guesthouses, gift shops and experiential workshops, all of which will open in sequence.

Kazuki Horiuchi, 45, used a grant to start a restaurant that will open in October and serve grilled food. He bought a two-story building that previously served as a home electronics store and the owner’s home, and spent half a year renovating it. He plans to run a restaurant where customers can enjoy grilled chicken with yakitori and boiled nikomi dishes in a retro atmosphere.

“I want to run a restaurant that will be remembered by visitors from home and abroad,” says Horiuchi.

One of the questions that arises in the area’s revival is how not to ruin the retro atmosphere that initially attracted so many tourists.

The promoting company also provides grants for projects to preserve the exteriors of existing buildings and is working to connect owners of vacant retail spaces with people who want to open new businesses there.

Kinichi Mizukoshi, the company official in charge of the project, said: “We want to preserve the landscape that fascinates so many people for as long as possible and make the area a place that offers excellent hospitality.”