Tenjin Covered Shopping Arcade

**Hidden section:** The Kami-kawabata shotengai section (eastern end, accessible from the Nakasu-Kawabata Station exit) is the oldest and least renovated — shops unchanged since the 1960s include a traditional umbrella repair specialist, a children's toy shop that still sells wooden tops, and the oldest remaining standing udon shop in the arcade system (Udon Taira — see separate entry). **Early morning:** The arcade opens at 10:00 but the service corridors (the service lanes behind each shop) open from 7:00 for deliveries. Walking the service alley of the main arcade (Tenjin Chuo-gai) shows the logistical infrastructure of Japanese retail.