Shinjuku Alta, a commercial facility that was popular as a meeting place in Shinjuku, Tokyo, will close down in February next year due to sluggish sales.

Shinjuku Alta opened in 1980 as a fashion building with two floors underground and seven floors above ground at the east exit of Shinjuku Station.



The studio on the 7th floor was known as the location for the public live broadcast of the commercially available variety show ``Warattei Itomo!'', which was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest-running live broadcast by a single host, and was also home to a large-scale TV screen, which was rare at the time. Because of the fact that it was equipped with such facilities, it has become a familiar symbol of the town and is used as a meeting place by many people.



According to Isetan Mitsukoshi, which operates Shinjuku Alta, they have decided to close the store at the end of February next year due to the slump in sales of the entire building in recent years and no improvement in profitability.



The building is owned by an Osaka real estate company, and the company says that the use of the building after it closes is undecided.



"Shinjuku Alta" has commented on the closure of its 40-year history, saying, "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our customers for their continued patronage. We will continue to welcome our customers wholeheartedly until the end of our business." .

"It's lonely" "It's like the end of an era"

People in front of the building expressed their regrets over the decision to close down the business of Shinjuku Alta, a symbol of Shinjuku.



A woman in her 50s said, ``I came here when variety shows were being recorded, and we used to meet up in front of Alta.It's a shame because it seems like an era is coming to an end.''



A man in his 50s said, ``I was surprised to hear that the store was closing.If I were to come to Shinjuku, I would have met at Alta, so I feel lonely.''



Another woman in her 20s said, ``I'm shocked because I used to come here often to buy clothes. I also used it to meet friends. I hope the building doesn't disappear.''



On the other hand, we heard voices, mainly from the younger generation, such as ``I've never been there and I'm not familiar with it,'' and ``I've never even heard of the name.''