I’m really excited about the new shopping center they’re building on the other side of town. One thing I love about Japan is the convenience of everything, and when it comes to shopping, you can’t beat a shopping center. In all honesty, there’s nothing particularly different between modern shopping malls in Japan and the ones back home, but that won’t stop me welcoming the new Aeon Jusco into my little Japanese world!
So without further ado, I present Kakamigahara’s new shopping center!
Yeah, okay, so it’s not finished yet, but when it’s done (late summer), it should look something like Ichinomiya City’s Diamond City Kirio, only 50% bigger! According to a Japanese blog which I can’t seem to find again, the land is 1.5 times larger than that of Diamond City, and I’ve heard various stories from students and gas station attendants which vary between “It’ll be the biggest Jusco in the city”, “It’ll be the biggest shopping center in the prefecture”, and “It’ll be the second biggest shopping center in Japan!”
It’s funny actually; I work within ten minutes drive of two of the biggest shopping centers in the area – Colorful Town and Diamond City, yet I rarely visit either of them. Why? Because although they are near, you spend 20 minutes finding a parking space, walking from your car to the elevator and eventually arriving on the shop floor.
Fortunately, this new shopping center is actually on my way to work. See that road in the picture at the top? I drive on that road everyday. So although I might find shopping far more convenient, the endless traffic jams could make my daily commute a nightmare! Yikes!
If you like, you can find me on Twitter at @nick_ramsay. I'd love to hear from you!
I was stationed at Naka-cho many years ago. I believe it was absorbed into what is now Kakamigahara. I am interested in what has become of the old Camp Gifu, that was adjacent to Naka-cho. Is it now the air base? I am considering visiting the area. I remember the train ride vividly from Naka-cho to Gifu and then to Nagoya via Inchinomiya.
Thanks Ron. I’ve only been in Kakamigahara for a couple of years, so it’s hard to know what’s new and what’s not, but I’ll assume the air base was built on the old Camp Gifu since there’s nothing else I can think of that could have been a military base.
Meanwhile, the Aeon shopping center, which has been built on rice fields, opens next week. As big as it is, the air base makes it look like a corner shop!
Hello Ron and others interested in Camp Gifu/Gifu AFB,
My father was stationed at Gifu AFB several times, I lived there from 1955 to 1958, I was age ten when we went to Gifu in 1955, and I returned to visit friends in 1964 and 1966.
For me and my family – Gifu was/is the best place on Earth- it was wonderful living there.
We lived at 1020 next to the Golf Course.
We lived at Green Park in Tokyo from 1963 to 1966, I joined the Army in 1966 at Camp Zama and my parents and sister lived at Green Park for another year.
I worked at Yokogawa-Hewlett-Packard in Hachioji-Tokyo from 1984 until 1992 then I returned to Japan for one year to take care of a friend – Living the life of a Gypsy Engish Teacher, my students were Doctors and my friends Dance Students. The Doctors paid well and the Dance students all chiped in a little money so we could all get togather at my friends house cook up a little dinner and talk into the night, and as a Design Consultant for the Kalt Helicopter Company at Gotenba.
There was no time in my life better than the time I lived at Gifu, we, like many militaryfamilies of the time, had a maid – within a few months Sue Komori and her family was a part of our family! Sue was more my mother than my own mother!
Naka-cho, right outside the Main Gate very nice,in 1964 when we went back for a visit, a young man at the ticket counter in Gifu City didn’t know the name Naka-Cho – the station name had changed to Undojomai. We always went to dance at OBon every summer.
Sometime I will try to post some photos.
You can take a look at the recent Gifu AFB on Goggle Earth, Gifu AFB is the Japan Self Defense Force now. You can tell there has been big changes there, the old ten hundred and eleven hundred housing areas are long gone to make room for a much longer runway and for certain storage areas. Even some of the small little mountains that were on base are being cut away.
The Kawasaki Aircraft Company was and is right next to Gifu Air Base, so Gifu is a kind of Fight Test Center – I call it the “Edwards AFB of Japan”.
The old Movie House that we use to go to on base was burned to the ground when an F-104 crashed into it some time in the 60s I believe.
Gifu Always,
Jim Mahoney
i was wondering is it still a US military base or is it now a Japan air base? cause i am now living two hours away from that area. just wondering.
It’s the Japan Air Self-Defence Force Gifu Air Base now. Watch last year’s air show here.
Hello All,
I found a A large USAF photo of Gifu AFB taken sometime between 1955 and 1958. It is a panorama view taken from the Air. As soon as I can scan it into my computer and do so in a way that allows me to do so in enough detail, I will post it or supply a link to it.
Once I do this you can compare it to what you can see today on Google Earth.
Jim Mahoney
That would be fascinating to see James!
Hello Aeon,
Here is a Web site that gives a lots of facts on Japan in one document:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ja.html
I will try to start posting phots soon.
Jim Mahoney
Oh okay thanks Nick. yeah i was at Kakagamihara last month. I actually liked it there. but i live like an hour drive from there. Im thinking about moving there..