Ōarai Seaside Station

Ōarai Seaside Station (大洗シーサイドステーション), affectionately nicknamed "Shīsute" (シーステ), is an open-mall-format shopping center located in Ōarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, close to the Pacific coast and the port of Ōarai. It opened in March 2006 as Resort Outlet Ōarai (大洗リゾートアウトレット), the first outlet mall in Ibaraki Prefecture, developed after the town of Ōarai invited the operator Yatsugatake Mall Management Co., Ltd. — the company behind the Yatsugatake Resort Outlet — to build on prefectural land near Ōarai Port. The outlet struggled as larger competitors such as Ami Premium Outlets opened nearby in 2009, and it was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, with damage estimated at about ¥4 billion and recovery costs of about ¥1.6 billion. It reopened roughly four months later, in July 2011. In 2017 the facility changed hands and identity. After a dispute between the operator and the tenant Oarai Creative Management Co., Ltd. — which ran the local produce shop Ōarai Maiwai Market and the Ōarai GuP Gallery devoted to the anime "Girls und Panzer" — Yatsugatake Mall Management sold the site to Fudōken Co., Ltd. of Tokyo in July 2017 and withdrew. Fudōken then resold the facility to Oarai Creative Management, which became the new operator together with Fudōken's subsidiary Fudōsan Kaihatsu Kenkyūsho. The name was changed to Ōarai Seaside Station, and after renovation it held a pre-opening in November 2017 and a grand opening as an open-mall shopping center on April 27, 2018. Today the center combines brand shopping with food and culture specific to Ibaraki and Ōarai, aiming to serve both tourists and local residents. Its tenant mix includes Ōarai Maiwai Market, the Ōarai GuP Gallery, ABC-Mart Outlet, Seria, Sazacoffee Ōarai, the supermarket Seimiya Ōarai and the drugstore Kawachi Yakuhin Ōarai. The site is known for photogenic spots such as mural art and jellyfish and ocean sunfish motifs, promoted on social media with hashtags like #オオアライノテンシ and #シーステ. It sits near major local attractions including Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Ōarai Aquarium, Mentai Park Ōarai, Ōarai Marine Tower and Ōarai Isosaki Shrine, and it has appeared in the anime "Girls und Panzer" and its theatrical film.

Ōarai Seaside Station began as Resort Outlet Ōarai (大洗リゾートアウトレット), which opened on March 18, 2006. It was developed after the town of Ōarai invited Yatsugatake Mall Management Co., Ltd. — the operator of Yatsugatake Resort Outlet — to build an outlet mall on prefectural land near Ōarai Port. It was the first outlet mall in Ibaraki Prefecture. In July 2009, Mitsubishi Estate Group opened the larger Ami Premium Outlets in Ami, Ibaraki, intensifying competition with surrounding large commercial facilities and drawing customers away. On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami damaged the facility, forcing it to close. Damage was estimated at about ¥4 billion, and about ¥1.6 billion was spent on recovery. It reopened about four months later, on July 16, 2011. Along with the reopening, a "Recovery Memorial Gallery" photo exhibition documenting the earthquake damage to the facility, Ōarai Town and the Kashima Rinkai Railway Ōarai Kashima Line was opened. Originally planned to run until September 2011, it was extended with more materials and photographs and remained on display until 2017. In 2017 a dispute erupted between the operator and a tenant. On March 7, 2017, Oarai Creative Management Co., Ltd., which ran the direct-sales shop Ōarai Maiwai Market and the Ōarai GuP Gallery, protested that Yatsugatake Mall Management had collected security fees despite not actually stationing guards, and announced it would withdraw from the mall after Yatsugatake Mall Management refused to respond. Yatsugatake Mall Management denied the improper collection as groundless, and the two sides clashed openly. Yatsugatake Mall Management also issued a statement saying the economic effect of "Girls und Panzer" was only temporary and unsuitable for attracting families, which angered fans of the work and caused a backlash. The conflict did not subside, and the mall lost two popular tenants that had consistently been profitable (both reopened in temporary stores on adjacent vacant land). Partly because of the loss of these two profitable tenants, Yatsugatake Mall Management consulted with Ōarai Town and announced in July 2017 that it would sell the facility to Fudōken Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Tokyo) and withdraw from its operation. That same month, Fudōken resold the facility to Oarai Creative Management, which became the new operator together with Fudōsan Kaihatsu Kenkyūsho Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fudōken. The facility was renamed Ōarai Seaside Station. Existing tenants continued operating while the facility was renovated; it reopened as Ōarai Seaside Station in August 2017, held a pre-opening after renovation in November 2017, and held its grand opening as an open-mall shopping center on April 27, 2018. In 2019, two buildings on the north side were demolished, after which the supermarket Seimiya and the drugstore Kawachi Yakuhin opened.

• Resort Outlet Ōarai opens as the first outlet mall in Ibaraki Prefecture.

• Ami Premium Outlets opens nearby, intensifying competition.

• Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami damage the facility, forcing closure.

• Facility reopens; Recovery Memorial Gallery opens.

• Tenant Oarai Creative Management announces withdrawal amid security-fee dispute.

• Yatsugatake Mall Management sells the facility to Fudōken, which resells it to Oarai Creative Management; renamed Ōarai Seaside Station.

• Reopens as Ōarai Seaside Station.

• Pre-opening after renovation.

• Grand opening as an open-mall shopping center.

• Two north-side buildings demolished; Seimiya supermarket and Kawachi Yakuhin drugstore open.

A seaside open-mall shopping center blending brand shopping with local Ibaraki and Ōarai food and culture, aimed at both tourists and residents.

• Ōarai Maiwai Market

  Direct-sales shop for Ōarai souvenirs and local specialties.

• Ōarai GuP Gallery

  Shop and exhibit for goods and materials related to the anime Girls und Panzer.

• ABC-Mart Outlet

  Footwear outlet store.

• Seria Ōarai Seaside Station

  100-yen variety store.

• Sazacoffee Ōarai

  Coffee shop.

• Seimiya Ōarai

  Supermarket.

• Kawachi Yakuhin Ōarai

  Drugstore.

1. 1大洗 SEASIDE STATION official websiteoarai-seaside.com
2. 2シーステって？｜大洗 SEASIDE STATIONoarai-seaside.com
3. 3Ōarai Seaside Station - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4大洗シーサイドステーション - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org