BLOG

There are many places to go shopping in downtown Yokosuka -- an area which is only a short walking distance away from the main entrance to Yokosuka Navy Base (CFAY). Of note, there is a "famous" large store called "Saikaya", which has a long history and is popular with the local people. It is located a couple of blocks away from the busy Mikasa indoor shopping street (see link below). Saikaya started business in 1872 as a kimono shop. It later on expanded and was rebuilt in 1928 as a multi-story department store. As a traditional style department store, Saikaya became very popular as a company which managed and offered a wide variety of consumer goods under one roof. The basement floor of Saikaya also contained a large food market, which the Japanese call: "DEPA CHIKA" (see link below for more details). Saikaya's profits peaked in the 1990s, but thereafter Japanese retail business started changing away from the old department store model. As a result, Saikaya briefly closed in 2021, but in response to local popular demand, it soon reopened as "Saikaya Yokosuka Shopping Plaza" and now hosts a number of specialty stores. For example, there is a well-stocked "York Foods" supermarket in the basement, a specialty grocery store "Seijo-Ishi" on the first floor, a large drug store, clothing shops, a French bread bakery, a "Seria" 100-Yen-Store, and other retailers. We hope you will get the chance to visit and shop at one of Yokosuka City's most famous retailers -- Saikaya. - - - - - LINKS: Mikasa Shopping Street https://us.iino.cc/blog/blog.html?eid=00035 Basement Food Market (DEPA-CHIKA) https://us.iino.cc/blog/blog.html?eid=00103