Loc Town

Loc Town (ロックタウン), is a shopping center in Suzuka run by ÆON. Although the buildings are not physically connected, it is in many ways an extension to the humongous Bell City shopping complex. It does not boast anywhere near the number of shops as Bell City, but does have the all-important Uniqlo (and a giant one, at that). However, it does boast a new and rather impressive arcade which contains a bowling alley, pool, ping-pong, and more. It is also home to a very impressive commercial onsen.

Loc Town was opened in July 2007 and so the facilities are still quite new and shiny. Like Bell City, Loc Town received a name change in the spring of 2012. It is now known as Æon Town. Again, this change is generally ignored.

Facilities

Altogether there are 34 shops/restaurants/services available at Loc Town.

Shops

• Giant Uniqlo

  Super-sized version of the popular clothing shop. Biggest in the area.

• Nitori

  Ikea-like cheap shop for build-it-yourself furniture. Offers delivery to surrounding areas, free if you buy enough.

• Craft Heart Tokai

  Sells yarn, fabric, knitting supplies, and other crafts. Formerly sat in Bell City, but got moved to Loc Town and paired with another crafty store.

• Kahma Home Center

  DIY shop

• Media shop (本の王国 Hon no Ōkoku) - across the parking lot, next to the onsen

  Can rent movies, CDs, and manga. Regular books and video games are also available.

• Bulldog

  Novelty goods, similar to Village Vanguard just without the books

• Giant Seria

  Super-size 100 yen shop

• Clothing shops

  A few of them, but a number have already closed since the shopping center was opened.

• Sleeping Factory

  Beds

Restaurants

There aren't actually any restaurants in Loc Town, they are on the opposite side of the parking lot

• Sushi Roll (スシロー)

  Arguably the best-tasting among the ¥105 conveyor-belt sushi shops. Always has a long line.

• Pisolino (ピソリーノ)

  Really good Italian buffet. Most stuff is available on a buffet, pizza and pasta are ordered fresh but you can order as much as you like.

• Shabu-shabu place

  Offer "black pork" shabu-shabu.

• Ramen and Chinese

  Small izakaya-type place that serves ramen, the standard ramen side dishes, and some other stuff on a fairly big menu.

• Pastel

  Italian. Has an "all-you-can-eat pizza" with most meal sets, but that is a deceiving claim because they just bring a tray of cheese pizza around every 5 or 10 minutes or so at their convenience and only let you take one or two slices (per person) at a time.

Note: The Wendy's is gone. Loc Town was once home to Mie Prefecture's only Wendy's but that shop along with every other location closed, as the Wendy's Corporation has left Japan. If you have been lured to Loc Town by the promise of a frosty you will be very sad.

Entertainment

• Arcade

  Practically brand new arcade, full of not just games but pool and ping pong as well

• Bowling

  In the arcade, (relatively) new and shiny

• Onsen

  Amazing commercial onsen, in the parking lot across from Loc Town

• Movie Theater

  10 screens, located on the second floor of nearby Bell City. Check link above for schedule and discounts

Nearby

• Bell City

  Loc Town's elder brother, far bigger and gets more love.

• Honda Factory

  Suzuka's humongous and legendary Honda research and production facility is almost right next to Loc Town.

Hours

• Most stores - 10:00~21:00
• Kahma Home Center - 10:00~20:00
• Media shop - 10:00~24:00
• Restaurants - 10:00~22:30
• Arcade - 10:00~24:00

Map

• Google map - Location pinpointed
• Google map - Walking directions from train station (Hiratachō)

Directions

By Train

Get yourself to Hiratachō (平田町) Station which is on the Kintetsu Suzuka Line.

To do that, first get yourself to Ise-Wakamatsu (伊勢若松) Station (Kintetsu Nagoya Line). It's an express (急行 kyūkō) stop between Yokkaichi and Shiroko, but it's not a limited express (特急 tokkyū) stop. Once you're at Ise-Wakamatsu, transfer to the Suzuka Line - all trains are bound for Hiratachō. Ride it all the way to the end of the line (a mere four stations), and your train journey is complete. From Hiratachō Station, it's about a 10-15 minute walk west on Suzuka's main street (Chūō Dōro).

After getting to Hiratachō, the next step is to find Bell City - leave the station, walk straight out and there will be a small eki-mae area with a few restaurants leading to a major road. Head to that major road and turn right onto it and walk straight on the sidewalk for about 10 minutes (maybe 15-20 minutes if you're moving slow) until you see a giant shopping center with a huge parking lot. It will be on the left side of the road and the "ÆON" and "Jusco" signs should give it away.

You have now found Bell City. Simply continue on the same road passed Bell City for a few minutes and you will see Loc Town. The only thing between Loc Town and Bell City is a large pachinko parlor with a sizable parking.

By Car

At the west end of Route 54 (Suzuka Chūō Dōro). Easily accessible from Route 1 and Route 23, follow signs for ÆON Bell City (イオン・ベルシティ). If coming from Route 1, it is before Bell City on the same side of the road, on the other hand if coming from Route 23 it will be after Bell City.

Links

• Loc Town - Official site (Japanese)