
【Kuwana Station / Night Walk】(Kuwana, Mie) A Station Plaza with a Famous Abandoned Building
An atmospheric covered arcade, a quiet Sunday-night station plaza, and an abandoned building that has become a local landmark

An atmospheric covered arcade, a quiet Sunday-night station plaza, and an abandoned building that has become a local landmark

An evening walk around Chigasaki Station — a coastal town with a surprisingly lively bar scene and locals making the most of their night out

A walk around Tsujido, a family-friendly station known for its giant illuminated Christmas tree and convenient shopping complex

A walk through Yurakugai, Hamamatsu's lively entertainment district — touts, neon, and the energy of a Friday night
![[Higashi-Okazaki Station / Evening Walk] (Okazaki, Aichi) The Demolished Building That Used to Define the Station Square](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F17%2F1%2F20260417_1_4.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A retro building that stood in front of the station on my last visit has been torn down. An evening stroll through the changing streets around Higashi-Okazaki Station.
![[Toma Station / First Love Filming Location] (Toma, Hokkaido) The Shopping Street Where Young Yae Walks to School](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F13%2F1%2F20260413_1_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
The filming location for the opening scene of Netflix's First Love, where teenage Yae greets a shopkeeper on her way to school.
 The Illuminated Castle Keep and the Castle Town Streets](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F06%2F1%2F20260406_1_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A night stroll through the illuminated National Treasure castle keep and the streets that retain the atmosphere of an old castle town
![[Hida-Kanayama Station / Night Walk] (Gero City, Gifu) — The Labyrinthine Alleyways of a Town Said to Have Inspired SILENT HILL f](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F05%2F4%2F20260405_4_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Hida-Kanayama, rumored to be the model for the world of SILENT HILL f — a walk through its silent streets and tangled kinkotsu lanes after dark.
![[Nagahama Station / Night Walk] (Nagahama City, Shiga) — Kurokabe Square After Dark and the Quiet Dining District of a Former Red-Light District](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F05%2F3%2F20260405_3_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
After the tourist crowds vanish, the black-walled streets of Kurokabe Square take on a different character — and the city's former red-light district comes quietly alive.
![[Yokaichi Station / Night Walk] (Higashiomi City, Shiga) — The Denim Mecca and a Historic Covered Arcade](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F05%2F2%2F20260405_2_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A night walk through Yokaichi Station's Honmachi shopping arcade — where a global denim destination coexists with the quiet charm of an old merchant street.
![[Tsu-Shinmachi Station / Night Walk] (Tsu City, Mie) — A Retro Entertainment District and a Frozen-in-Time Arcade](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F05%2F1%2F20260405_1_2.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A night walk through Tsu's Daimon district and its remarkable Showa-era arcade — a place where the past hasn't quite let go.
![[Matsusaka Station / Night Walk] (Matsusaka City, Mie) — A Former Pleasure Quarter and Handwritten Bar Signs](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F04%2F3%2F20260404_3_3.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A night walk through Matsusaka's downtown — from the station arcade to a former pleasure quarter and the retro back streets that still feel alive.
![[Wakayama Station / Night Walk] (Wakayama City, Wakayama) — Halloween Costumes, Touts, and a Silent Giant Arcade](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F04%2F2%2F20260404_2_2.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
On Halloween night, a walk through Wakayama's lively Arochi district and its vast, nostalgic covered shopping arcade.
![[Fukushima Station / Night Walk] (Osaka City, Osaka) — Narrow Lanes and a Downtown Shopping Street](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F04%2F04%2F1%2F20260404_1_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A night walk around Fukushima Station — weaving through neon-lit shopping streets and quiet back alleys that feel worlds away from nearby Umeda.
![[Ina-shi Station] (Ina City, Nagano) — A Snowy Walk Around the Station and Shopping Street](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F02%2F26%2F20250226_1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A walk around Ina-shi Station on the JR Iida Line — photographing the snow-dusted streets and whatever else caught my eye.
![[Kofu Station] (Kofu City, Yamanashi) Yoshida Udon in the Station Building and the Illuminated Statue of Takeda Shingen](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2026%2F2%2F22%2F20260222-001.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
A walk around Kofu Station — udon in the station building and a look at the festively lit statue of Takeda Shingen out front

I had no idea who to vote for, so I made a comparison matrix
![[Hokkaido Cities: Nayoro]Walking around Nayoro Station, the central station of Nayoro City, one of the core cities of Northern Hokkaido](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2024%2F1%2Fnayoro-001.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
I walked through a shopping street with a fairly impressive arcade near the station in a city where temperatures can drop to -30 degrees Celsius in severe winter.
![[For People Looking for a Place to Live: Tsunashima Station]The charm of a bedroom town that opened as Tsunashima Onsen Station - an interesting history (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture)](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2023%2F12%2Ftsunashima-003.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
What machidori.ch felt when visiting and filming Tsunashima Station, and the atmosphere of the city visible in the filmed video, which may be helpful for people looking for a place to live.
![[Hokkaido Cities: Kitami]Walking through the city featured in Netflix drama "First Love"](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2F2023%2F12%2Fkitami-001.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
The shopping street near the station has a good atmosphere but feels desolate and a bit sad. The population hasn't decreased much, so maybe it's because it became suburban?