# A Skateboard and the Dead Fountain at Kurenai Plaza

At 7 a.m. the plaza has been closed since March, and the floor is still polished for someone.

By Karin Hellberg-Yusuf · 2026-11-01 · Street · Fukuoka

The wheels are louder than anything the building has heard since March. Misaki Oyama pushes off at 7:02 a.m. from the dry fountain, across tiles the colour of weak tea, past the shutter of what was a shoe repair stall.

Kurenai Plaza shut after 41 years. The floor is still polished, because someone still pays for it. Upstairs there was a goldfish stall, a photo booth, and a bakery that sold curry bread at 3 p.m. in warm paper bags.

The guard by the east door holds a can of coffee and does not move. Oyama rolls one slow lap of the atrium. The board clicks over every tile joint, like a clock someone forgot to stop.

Source: https://oddy.one/a/2026-11-01-a-skateboard-and-the-dead-fountain-at-kurenai-plaza/
