Leaping into the Twenty-First Century

SHIODOME MEGAPLEX CITY SHINBASHI

Early in the Meiji (1868 - 1912) era of modern Japanese history, when the rail system was initiated, all system mileage was calculated from Shinbashi station. Later the area nearby served as the freight yard for the entire Japan Rail network. Now JR not only has renovated and refurbished the original Shinbashi rail station into a glittering high end restaurant but also has presided over the emergence of one of the largest multiple use construction projects in the entire country, overseeing the building of a dozen skyscrapers and the transformation of the former rail yards into one of Tokyo crowning urban centers.

A preserved section of the original track reminds visitors of the earlier uses to which this area of the city was put, but everywhere else one looks the future beckons. The first structure to open in the new megaplex came online in December 2002; the new Royal Park Hotel opened in early July 2003.

In the midst of the continuing economic malaise Japan has been experiencing since the early nineties, this huge new complex of high rise buildings helps brighten the entire urban setting -- and refocuses it as well on an area of the city formerly relegated to peripheral status.

IKEBUKURO TRAIN STATION | RANQUEEN STORE | SHIODOME MEGAPLEX