The main gate to this outlet mall.
This mall was similar to the one I visited in America in the '90s.
There were about 100 shops.
For example this optician was selling glasses for about 50 dollars on an average with no additional charge.I introduced an old house last week, but Japan is a mixture of the new and old. If you go to a populated area, you can do shopping and have lunch at posh restaurants. And visit a rural area and you'll find something very old, such as a temple, shrine, and guest house that provides a hot spring.
But since around the beginning of this century, shopping malls have popped up even in rural areas, and there are at least more than 6 shopping malls in my prefecture. Now they're hangouts for young people who once before didn't have access to nice clothing stores and coffee shops.
I visited this outlet mall that opened in my prefecture recently, and it was crowded with people who were looking for brand-name goods sold cheaply. But in this recession people didn't seem to be buying lots of goods and but instead they were spending money on lunch.
