Thursday, December 12, 2013

Major Districts of Tokyo earmarked to Major Redevelopments completed before 2020 Olympics

Major Districts of Tokyo earmarked to Major Redevelopments completed before 2020 Olympics


















Tokyo will hold the Olympic games in 2020, and each district in Tokyo will be redeveloped to make them more attractive. This article highlights the redevelopment activities in five popular districts in Tokyo.

1. Shinjuku
Shinjuku station is an important interchange in Tokyo as it lies at the crossroads of major railway lines operated by five railway companies: JR East, Keio, Odakyu, Tokyo Metro, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Traffic Bureau. In addition, it is also lies at the heart of the amusement and nightlife district. According to the Guinness World Records, Shinjuku Station is the world’s busiest station that serves an average of 3.64 million passengers per day!
The area surrounding Shinjuku Station is well developed, however the rows of commercial facilities on both the east and west sides of the station have been blamed for terrible congestion and traffic jams in the area.
In response to the traffic congestion, an air space over the south entrance/exit of the Shinjuku Station is currently being constructed: a huge ground will be constructed over the station facilities, and a wide variety of buildings and facilities, as well as pedestrian squares, taxi stands, and long-distance bus stops will be erected on the ground In addition, “New Shinjuku Station South Entrance Building,” a new landmark is being erected on the south side of the Shinjuku Station; scheduled for completion in 2016, this new building will accommodate office, commerce, and cultural facilities.
As many people are moving to the areas around terminal stations such as the Shinjuku Station, development and redevelopment activities are often undertaken around these stations to make full use of the land and air spaces in these prime locations.

2. Marunouichi and Otemachi
Marunouchi is a busy business district that has morphed into an attractive shopping destination as well. While the number of passengers who use the Marunouchi Station has not reached its full potential, Marunouchi will certainly grow as Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. will be developing the Marunouchi district where they own lot of land. In addition, Tokyo Station, which is close to the Marunouchi Station and the Otemachi Station, is also capable of accommodating a large number of commuters.
The Otemachi Station serves five subway lines and also provides good traffic access. The area around the station is also concentrated with the headquarters of many financial, insurance, information/communication, and media companies.
Otemachi is unique as there is a big gap in the number of people in the district during the day and night: while approximately 72,000 people work there during the day, there are no registered residents living there at night. The area functions just as an office town and thus no residential environment improvement plan exists. Following the approval of “Type 1 City Redevelopment Project at Otemachi 2 Chome” in August 2013, many old buildings and parking lots will be repaired in due time.

3. Shibuya
The Shibuya Station is another big terminal station like the Shinjuku Station. The district of Shibuya has traditionally been youth centric, but it has also been attracting people in their 30-40s since Shibuya Hikarie, a large commercial facility, opened in April 2012. With the commencement of the Fuku-Toshinsen and Tokyu Toyokosen railway lines, Shibuya is part of a wide railway network that stretches from Saitama and Yokohama. In 2013, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government approved three urban projects: “Station Commercial District Development Plan,” “Dogenzaka Redevelopment Plan,” and “Shibuya Station South District Development Project.” These three projects call for the development of more commercial facilities and offices; the increase and improvement of parking lots, pedestrian decks and limousine bus terminals; and the use of design architects for the design of pedestrian squares and low levels of buildings.

4. Nihonbashi
As the Bank of Japan is headquartered at Nihonbashi, it is widely thought to be a representative financial district in Japan. Erected in 2004, COREDO (which is the combination of the words Core and Edo) Building erected at the Nihonbashi intercourse in 2004, was named in hope that Nihonbashi will regain its role as the commercial center of Tokyo today, just as it was in Edo eons ago.
Yaesu is a neighboring district of Nihonbashi; unlike Marunouchi, Yaesu has not seen much redevelopment in recent times, hence, people getting off at the Tokyo Station, are more likely to visit the Marunouchi side,not the Yaesu side. If Yaesu, the opposite side of Marunouchi, is redeveloped nicely, it will increase the footfall to Nihonbashi too.

5. Haneda International Airport
Compared to many other airports in the world, access to the Haneda Airport from the city center is very good. In addition, the short distance between the railway stations and airport check-in counters is another advantage that has often been cited. Following the construction of a fourth runway in 2010, and improved access to foreign countries, the number of international flights is expected to increase by 50 percent to reach 86 flights a day by the spring of 2014.
Due to the limited number of landing slots at Haneda, most international flights have been using the Narita International Airport despite its inferior traffic access. However, in recent years, Japan has been actively developing Haneda Airport into an airport hub. If the Haneda Airport, is developed further as an international airport, the number of visitors to Tokyo will increase. Before investing in real estate, one should not only focus on the property that one intends to buy, but should also take into consideration the development plans and potential growth of the areas surrounding the property.
6. Hiyoshi 
Hiyoshi is a part of the city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located within Kōhoku Ward in the northeast of Yokohama City.
It is served by Hiyoshi Station on the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and Yokohama Subway. It is approximately 22 minutes by train from Shibuya, and 15 minutes from Yokohama, being located between Moto-Sumiyoshi on the north and Tsunashima on the south. Both the Express and Commuter Limited Express services stop at Hiyoshi.
Hiyoshi is the home of Keio University's Hiyoshi campus, Yagami campus and Keio Business School. The main part of Hiyoshi Campus is located directly to the right of the station exit across Tsunashima Kaidō. The campus sprawls over a low hill and is most remarkable for the many tall trees growing there. Yagami campus, located only a short walk from Hiyoshi campus, holds the faculty of Science and Technology.
The town shopping district is on the opposite side of the station, the west side with includes a very dynamic and cosmopolitan precinct filled with a huge variety of fantastic restaurants and shops making Hiyoshi a highly sort after location to live. The town's main thoroughfares run out from the station's Nishiguchi Square like the spokes of a wheel, though the direction of traffic is generally toward the station. Sun Road runs north (traffic south). Hamagin Dōri runs northwest. Chūō Dōri runs out to the west (traffic east). And, Futsubu Dōri comes in toward the station from the southwest. Hiyoshi is one of the most affluent suburbs in Tokyo and Yokohama.

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