Tenjin Chikagai

天神地下街Chuo, Fukuoka

Shopping

What makes this place special?

At a Glance

Tenjin Chikagai is an underground shopping arcade in Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, in the largest downtown area in Kyushu. Known locally as Tenchika, it runs about 600 metres beneath Watanabe-dori, divided into twelve numbered blocks with around 150 tenants. It opened in 1976 and was extended south when the Nanakuma subway line opened in 2005.

The design recalls nineteenth-century Europe, with southern European stone paving, brick and arabesque ceilings. In keeping with a theatre concept, the corridors are kept dim while the shop fronts are brightly lit. The arcade links Tenjin and Tenjin-Minami subway stations with the Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) station and bus terminal. Passages and station concourses also lead to nearby buildings such as Fukuoka City Hall, ACROS Fukuoka and Iwataya, so it works as a sheltered route in rain, snow, heat or cold.