The Hakata Riverain commercial complex in Hakata-ku is trying to shed its image as “too expensive” to become “more inviting.” Over the past two years, Eeny Meeny Miny Mo, the keystone of Riverain, has seen daily visitor numbers rise. On Apr. 18 the Fukuoka Anpanman Children’s Museum will open and is expected to attract more families. In February 2012, Tokyo-based Toshin Development took control of the struggling Eeny Meeny Miny Mo and began making changes. Half of the building’s tenants were replaced with new shops, including the popular Kayanoya restaurant, a dry cleaner and a 100 yen shop, to make the facility “more convenient for residents and commuters”. The company managed to attract almost 300,000 visitors in fiscal 2013 and estimates this will jump to 500,000 with the addition of the Anpanman Museum. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 4/16
(photo: http://riverain.co.jp/publicspace/)
