The original Kazuha Mall was a small two-story open-air shopping area. Mall visitors walked outside between shops. In the middle of the mall was an old Keihan train visitors could walk through and kids could play around.
That all changed in 2004 when the mall was closed down for remodeling. It reopened in April of 2005 and has since been a shopping hub for people traveling in between Osaka and Kyoto. Kuzuha Mall sits about halfway between Osaka and Kyoto cities, roughly 25 minutes from either direction.
In recent months, Kuzuha has been undergoing a new facelift adding many new buildings for more shops, a much needed cinema as well as many more parking structures. Shops like Uniqlo that moved out during reconstruction have moved back. Visitors will no longer need to travel into Kyoto or Osaka, but will be able to get all their shopping needs taken care of in Kuzuha. Kuzuha Mall just got better!
Kuzuha Mall will open the newly built areas officially on March 12, 2014.