Yesterday, I showed you a picture of the entrance to a sports center. This is the building. The entrance is on the left and there is a large parking lot to the right. I have never been inside but apparently it contains both rooms for athletics and rooms where athletes can stay during tournaments or trainings.
The entrance is set in from the sidewalk, so that the second floor forms a roof over the area, which is filled with a large stone sculpture and some metal work. It is actually quite impressive and probably cost a large portion of the construction budget for the facility.
Looking back into the entrance area from the sidewalk. The building is non-smoking so the employees come out to this area to have a cigarette. You can see one sitting on the stairs down to the lower level. On the same floor as the windows but farther around to the left, there used to be a large bar/restaurant. It showed sports movies on large screens and looked quite nice from the outside, although I have never been inside. About a year ago it closed and is now used only for special parties, for example, good bye parties after some sports competition.
After taking the last picture, I turned around and took the next picture. It is a men's clothing store, part of a large chain. However, it has recently closed, like many other stores in Sendai. Every time I go out for a walk, I find another store that has permanently shut its doors. Parts of Japan are beginning to improve economically, but Sendai and the rest of the Tohoku (northeast) area are still experiencing a contracting economy.
No comments:
Post a Comment