Abasse Takata

Abasse Takata (アバッセたかた) is a large multi-tenant shopping complex in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It opened on 27 April 2017 on land raised about ten meters by the disaster-recovery land readjustment project in the city's central district, which had been devastated by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The name "Abasse" comes from the local Kesen dialect meaning "let's go together," chosen from 676 public submissions by a male resident of Rikuzentakata. The facility was conceived as the leading commercial anchor of the rebuilt town center, and it incorporates the Rikuzentakata City Library. The complex is made up of three buildings. Building A, the "Abasse Takata Specialty Store Street," houses mainly local small and medium businesses — stationery, a 100-yen shop (Can Do), confectionery (Saito Seika), cafes and restaurants, as well as a music school, a law office, and a care service — plus a food court and a public space usable for exhibitions and events. Building B contains the Maiya Takata store, a clothing store (Fashion Center Shimamura Rikuzentakata), and a cleaning shop. Building C is a Tsuruha Drug Takata Chuo store. Parking provides 110 spaces on site, with an additional 360 spaces at the adjacent municipal parking lot to the south. The facility is operated by the Takata Matsubara Commercial Development Cooperative, which also ran the predecessor Rias Coast Shopping Center Ripple (opened December 2000 and washed away by the 2011 tsunami). The cooperative, established in June 1997, rebuilt as the Abasse Takata specialty store street and serves as the representative body operating the complex. Rikuzentakata Redevelopment Co., Ltd. (established by Maiya) and Tsuruha Co., Ltd. were also selected as operators. Construction began in summer 2016. The city library opened on 20 July 2017. Visitor numbers including library users were about 1.12 million in FY2017, 1.29 million in FY2018, and 1.34 million in FY2019, declining to about 1.21 million in FY2020 and 1.17 million in FY2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic. Abasse Takata functions as the core of the central shopping district, coordinating with surrounding shopping streets, plazas, cultural facilities, and disaster-recovery facilities to generate community and wider exchange. It positions itself as a hub for the "Takata style" of town-making — a place where people gather, taste, and enjoy.

The predecessor of Abasse Takata was the Rias Coast Shopping Center Ripple, which opened in December 2000 along the National Route 45 Rikuzentakata Bypass and was operated by the Takata Matsubara Commercial Development Cooperative. At first, Aburaya Shoten ran a supermarket there, and from 2006 Maiya opened a store; it continued operating until it was washed away by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011. The cooperative itself had been established in June 1997. After the earthquake, stores in the city center relocated to the Rikuzentakata Mirai Shopping Street, a temporary shopping district in the inland Takekoma area, and to neighboring areas, which became the commercial center in place of the city center. Meanwhile, the Rikuzentakata Chamber of Commerce and Industry set up a committee in July 2011 to discuss the reconstruction of the shopping district in the central city area (the "machinaka" district). The City of Rikuzentakata, which was also studying central district development, began participating in the chamber's meetings after the "Central City Area Study Meeting" held in February 2013. Through this public-private cooperation, a revitalization plan for the machinaka district was drawn up, and the establishment of a large commercial facility was decided as its core. Before the disaster, commercial facilities in the Takata area were split between an old shopping street near the mountains and a shopping center along the seaside bypass, which contributed to a decline in the drawing power of the mountain-side area; moreover, the bypass-side land was planned for a memorial park, so it was decided to place the shopping center in the machinaka district. It was also decided to attach the city library as a public facility that would help attract visitors. The operators selected were the Takata Matsubara Commercial Development Cooperative, which had run Ripple; Rikuzentakata Redevelopment Co., Ltd., established by Maiya; and Tsuruha Co., Ltd., which had also operated a drugstore along National Route 45 before the disaster. Construction began in summer 2016. On 27 April 2017, it opened as the first large commercial facility on the raised ground in the central area, and on 20 July 2017 the city library opened. At the same time as the facility opened, Machinaka Rikuzentakata Station was established as a new BRT station on the Ofunato Line about 100 meters from the facility, but it was abolished on 1 April 2018 when Rikuzentakata Station moved near the facility; since then, Rikuzentakata Station has been the nearest station. Visitor numbers including library users were about 1.12 million in FY2017, 1.29 million in FY2018, and 1.34 million in FY2019, but after the COVID-19 pandemic they declined to about 1.21 million in FY2020 and 1.17 million in FY2021. The facility consists of three buildings, A, B, and C, developed respectively by Takata Matsubara Commercial Development, Rikuzentakata Redevelopment, and Tsuruha. The combined project cost for Buildings A and B was about 1.2 billion yen, of which about 860 million yen came from the national subsidy for creating employment through enterprise location in tsunami and nuclear disaster-affected areas (the tsunami location subsidy). Building C was developed with Tsuruha's own funds. For Buildings A and B, the buildings are owned by Takata Matsubara Commercial Development and Rikuzentakata Redevelopment respectively, and leased to tenants on a per-tsubo rent basis. The Rikuzentakata City Library was developed by Takata Matsubara Commercial Development as a joint structure with Building A, and after completion the city purchased the sectional ownership and operates it. Building A, the "Abasse Takata Specialty Store Street," mainly houses local small and medium businesses, including stationery stores, a 100-yen shop (Can Do Rikuzentakata), confectionery (Saito Seika), cafes and restaurants, as well as a music school, a law office, and a care service; it also has a food court and a public space that can host exhibitions and events and can be partitioned with movable walls. Building B houses the Maiya Takata store, a clothing store (Fashion Center Shimamura Rikuzentakata), and a cleaning shop. Building C is the Tsuruha Drug Takata Chuo store. Parking provides 110 spaces, plus 360 spaces at the adjacent municipal parking lot to the south.

• Takata Matsubara Commercial Development Cooperative established.

• Predecessor Rias Coast Shopping Center Ripple opens along National Route 45.

• Maiya opens a store in Ripple.

• Ripple is washed away by the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami.

• Rikuzentakata Chamber of Commerce and Industry establishes a committee for shopping district reconstruction.

• Central City Area Study Meeting held; city begins participating in chamber discussions.

• Construction of Abasse Takata begins.

• Abasse Takata opens as the first large commercial facility on the raised ground in the central district.

• Rikuzentakata City Library opens within the complex.

• Machinaka Rikuzentakata Station is abolished; Rikuzentakata Station becomes the nearest station.

A community-oriented, reconstruction-driven shopping complex serving as the commercial core of Rikuzentakata's rebuilt central district, combining local specialty shops, national chain retailers, and a public library.

• Abasse Takata Specialty Store Street (Building A)

  Local small and medium businesses including stationery, 100-yen shop (Can Do), confectionery (Saito Seika), cafes, restaurants, music school, law office, and care service; also food court and public event space.

• Maiya Takata store (Building B)

  Supermarket anchor in Building B.

• Fashion Center Shimamura Rikuzentakata (Building B)

  Clothing store in Building B.

• Tsuruha Drug Takata Chuo store (Building C)

  Drugstore occupying Building C.

• Rikuzentakata City Library

  Public library jointly built with Building A, operated by the city.

1. 1アバッセたかた 公式サイトabassetakata.jp
2. 2アバッセたかたについて | アバッセたかたabassetakata.jp
3. 3Abasse Takata - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4アバッセたかた - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org