Tanukikoji Shopping St, Sapporo Live Cam

The covered Tanukikoji arcade runs away from this webcam in central Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Shoppers pass under the roof below the lens, and shopfronts and hanging signs run away in a straight line.

The arcade dates from the 1870s, when Sapporo was newly laid out, and now runs about a kilometre through seven blocks with roughly two hundred shops. The roof matters here more than in most cities: Sapporo gets around five metres of snow in a season, and this street stays usable through all of it.

Foot traffic is heaviest in the late afternoon and early evening. Events and small festivals are held under the roof through the year.