There’s a convenient new shopping mall in the Kansai area called Kuzuha Mall. Well not actually new. It’s really an old mall that was torn down almost completely and given a facelift. The new version is completely different, very convenient and worth the effort to visit and shop at, even if it is far away from where you live.

 

Since the opening on April 14, 2005, many have already made trips to it to see how it has changed, and take advantage of the many new shops added.

If you have kids and want to shop, it’s a good mall to take them to, especially in the summer heat. Outside the mall is an area with padded floor mats and water fountains that spray water into the air for kids to run around and play in and get soaking wet. Take a load off your feet and sit down on the benches surrounding the fountain – a bonus since most shopping places in Japan have nowhere to sit – and watch your kids have fun.

Kuzuha is located in Osaka prefecture between Osaka and Kyoto on the border of Kyoto prefecture along the Keihan line. From Kyoto Sanjo Keihan Station it’s 23 minutes by train and from Yodoyabashi Keihan Station in Osaka, it takes 31 minutes.

To some Kuzuha is not really a town, but to others it is. For those who claim it isn’t, it is growing in such a way that if it isn’t currently, it will be soon. Last year, the Kuzuha Tower was completed and people began moving in. From Osaka look towards Kyoto and you’ll see a huge tower rising into the sky halfway between Osaka and Kyoto along the Yodo River with no other high-rises nearby. That’ll be Kuzuha Tower. Kuzuha Tower is right across the street from the Kuzuha Mall.

The mall in its old stage was a two-story open-air mall that had an old Japanese locomotive engine in the middle of it. The shops were few and it resembled a shotengai in a way.

Now it’s a one stop-shopping extravaganza. Some shops open at 9am and close as late as midnight. For the trendy, Mujirushi, GAP and Kids GAP, Starbucks and UNICLO are all located at Kuzuha Mall, not to mention an American-sized Food Court to make difficult your selection of lunch or dinner. On the outer rim of the mall are various restaurants to choose from for lunch or dinner also. You can easily go there in the morning and not go home until late at night, if you want.

Don’t fret parking fees because the mall is very generous. If you purchase over 2000 yen in merchandise, you get three hours free parking.

Kuzuha Mall Website