The covered shopping arcade running south from the trams at Karashima-chō is the commercial spine of central Kumamoto. Around half a kilometre long and largely pedestrian, Shimotōri is busy from morning until late, lined with department stores, izakaya, ramen shops, cosmetics chains, and the occasional small bookshop. The cross-arcade at Kamitōri continues the network northward.
In the evening the side streets — Ginzadōri and the alley sometimes called Yobukodōri — fill up with stand-bars and small basashi specialists. This is where you eat after the castle closes.