Youme Town

In the north-east of Saga city, conveniently located near, Round 1, Sushiro, and the Onsen, Saga’s best shopping can be found, with a great range of choice at Youme Town.

To get to Youme Town from the Bus or Train station is easy. Either take the bus number 5 from gate number 1, which comes about every 20 minutes, takes around ten minutes and costs ¥150, or you can walk, which takes around 20-25 minutes. The route is simply. From the station walk east (past the bus centre) and turn right at Strawberry Cones (a pizza place). You know you are on the right road if you pass Dohtonbori the okonomiyaki place on your right. Turn right when you see Round 1 (it’s a tall building with a bowling pin on the top) and walk past it and if you keep walking you will reach Youme Town.

Youme Town is packed to the rafters with all sorts of shops, from very upmarket clothes shops, to Daiso, everybody’s favourite ¥100 store. Youme town also has other favourites such as Caldi, a foreign foods import store as well as the ¥315 store which is slightly more upmarket as so full of pink and fluffy things you will think that a unicorn has been sick in there.

Another store which is very popular is the hobby shop, a place with all the anime, manga and general Japanese paraphernalia you can handle. Be warned though, with things like surprise anime character cell phone danglies at around ¥500 you’ll get addicted until you find your favourite one, and pay the price in doing so.

If you are looking for affordable, fashionable clothes that will (mostly) fit our foreign bodies, then downstairs there is a giant Uniqlo, which has a bit of something for everyone from basics upwards. Their heatech range is also top notch in winter.

Shopping not your thing? No problem. Youme Town is also host to other delights. Firstly, there is Namco gaming area, where you can taiko to your hearts delight or take 100 photos of yourself in their numerous purikura photo booths.

And when you are hungry from all that, it also offers a great food court with delights from curry rice, to omelette rice, udon and tempura and if none of that takes your fancy there is always Mcdonalds to fall back on.

So for shopping in Saga come to Youme Town.