Urawa Parco Shopping Complex at Urawa Station, Saitama

Seasons and events at Urawa Parco

Urawa Parco (浦和PARCO) functions as both a year-round retail centre and an occasional event venue. That mix shows in a number of dated, on-site programs: in June 2015 the complex ran a collaboration with the local-set anime “Urawa no Chō-chan” called “Urawa no Chō-chan Ekishibijon” (June 12–28, 2015), which included merchandise sales, special screenings and a stamp rally. In September 2015 the PARCO plaza hosted the city co‑organised “Urawa Beer Stadium” (September 17–20, 2015). The mall also stages Urawa Reds–related activities such as club support sales and previously operated a Reds-themed retail corner on the first floor until that shop closed on September 24, 2017. The complex’s cinema has been subject to temporary closures as well; United Cinemas Urawa was closed temporarily between April and May 2020.

Where it sits: building, access and footprint

Urawa Parco is the principal commercial tenant of the Stream Building, constructed as part of the Urawa Station East Exit redevelopment. The Stream Building stands at about 55 metres in height and combines public facilities with the PARCO retail block; the commercial portion is designated the Saitama Urawa 8953 Building. The redevelopment included a station square and a covered route from Urawa Station to the PARCO entrance so visitors can reach the mall from the station without getting wet in rain. The mall occupies the Stream Building from basement level 1 through the above-ground 7th floor.

The retail catchment is described in clear tiers: the primary trade area is all of Saitama City; the mid-area is defined as rail lines reachable within 30 minutes from Urawa Station; and the wide‑area includes parts of Tokyo and the whole of Saitama Prefecture.

What you’ll find inside: main tenants and floor layout

The list below summarises the PARCO portion’s principal tenants as recorded in August 2022. The building combines national chains, restaurants, entertainment and specialty shops across its floors.

• 7th floor: United Cinemas Urawa and a projection-room museum.
• 6th floor: cinema reception for United Cinemas Urawa, fitness and restaurants.
• 5th floor: Kinokuniya Bookstore and a cluster of restaurants and food tenants, including established dining brands.
• 4th floor: fashion and sports brands such as GU, musical instruments (Shimamura Gakki), Tower Records, ABC-MART, ORIHICA and Zoff.
• 3rd floor: craft and lifestyle outlets including the Yuzawaya Urawa Parco store and Yuzawaya Art Academy, Loft, Francfranc, Muji and travel agency H.I.S.
• 2nd floor: apparel and lifestyle shops with electronics retailer Nojima and travel agency JTB present.
• 1st floor: flagship-style stores and confectionery such as ZARA, United Arrows, AKOMEYA TOKYO, JOURNAL STANDARD relume and international café and sweets brands including GODIVA and Starbucks Coffee.
• Basement 1: supermarket space occupied by Yaoko (opened November 22, 2017) alongside food and beverage shops. This floor replaced a previous department-store foodmarket that closed on July 31, 2017.

Tenant composition has changed over time, but the building maintains a mix of shopping, dining and entertainment anchored by the cinema complex and major fashion and lifestyle brands.

Public facilities, parking and the Stream Building concept

The Stream Building combines PARCO’s retail floors with a civic block of public services whose section is known by the building’s public‑facility nickname. Public facilities housed in the same complex include Saitama City Central Library (on the 8th floor), the Saitama City Citizen Activity Support Center (9th floor), Urawa Community Center (10th floor), an international exchange centre and the Urawa Consumer Life Center.

Beneath the complex are municipal parking facilities and paid bicycle parking. The municipal Urawa Station East Exit parking extends across basement levels beneath the civic plaza; the deepest public parking level is opened only on weekends and public holidays and remains closed on weekdays (the elevator does not stop there on weekdays).

History and notable changes

• October 9–10, 2007: media preview followed by the official opening on October 10, 2007; at opening the PARCO reported 122 tenants making their first store presence within Saitama City.
• March 11, 2010: the land and building ownership for Urawa PARCO was converted to company ownership when the property was purchased.
• August 31, 2010: the long-established Yuzawaya store in Takasago closed to allow relocation.
• October 8, 2010: Yuzawaya reopened inside PARCO as Yuzawaya Urawa Parco store with a reduced sales area of about 2,100 square metres (roughly half the area of the previous store) and its art academy moved within the complex.
• 2011: structural changes increased an atrium between the first and second floors and new stores opened, including Zara and PLST on the first floor and Nojima on the second floor (Nojima opened September 10, 2011).
• June 12–28, 2015: the anime collaboration event with “Urawa no Chō-chan” took place with goods, screenings and a stamp rally.
• September 17–20, 2015: the PARCO frontage hosted the municipal co‑organised “Urawa Beer Stadium.”
• July 31, 2017: the basement food anchor Daimaru Urawa PARCO Food Market closed; the adjacent specialty deli operator also closed at that time.
• September 24, 2017: the Reds Gate × J:COM shop on the first floor closed.
• November 22, 2017: Yaoko supermarket opened on Basement 1 in the former foodmarket space.
• April–May 2020: United Cinemas Urawa suspended operations temporarily in response to the COVID‑19 outbreak.

The opening of United Cinemas Urawa within PARCO also coincided with the closure of older local cinemas in the Urawa area.

Retail performance and role in the region

Urawa Parco is notable within the Parco group for its scale and sales. It is the largest Parco single‑building site by floor area, and in total area it ranks just behind Nagoya Parco. In the fiscal 2020 ranking by tenant-handling sales, Urawa Parco placed first among Parco stores, outpacing other large locations such as Nagoya Parco, Fukuoka Parco, Ikebukuro Parco and Sendai Parco.

FAQ

When did Urawa Parco open?

Urawa Parco opened on October 10, 2007.

Which floors of the Stream Building does Urawa Parco occupy?

The PARCO portion occupies basement 1 through the above-ground 7th floor of the Stream Building.

Which cinema operates inside Urawa Parco?

United Cinemas Urawa operates inside the complex.