Mall featuring eerie black-colored items stirs interest in Japan

A scenic western Japan port city has gone to the dark side in a bid to attract visitors -- offering them an array of black-colored foods and other items, the same color as the water of the local hot-spring spa.After the spa facility opened near a mall in Yawatahama in Ehime Prefecture last summer, a group approached shops and restaurants in the arcade with the idea as a way to revitalize the district. Many visitors say they have found it all pleasantly spooky.The "black list" leaflet of 50 shops and eateries in the 800-meter-long mall introduces such items as a "champon" noodle dish featuri…READ FULL ARTICLE