Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hibiya
ൺ୩
The area south of where Edo Castle once stood was occupied by the Tokugawa
shogunate's less favoured
daimyō
. The land was cleared after 1868, but was too
waterlogged to support modern buildings, so in 1903
Hibiya-kōen
(
ൺ୩ެԂ
), Tokyo's
first European-style park, came into being. These days the tree-filled park is a popular
lunchtime spot for o
ce workers and courting couples, and makes a very pleasant
escape from the bustle of nearby Ginza and Shimbashi.
2
Imperial Hotel
1-1-1 Uchisaiwai-chō, Chiyoda-ku • Hibiya station
Across the road from Hibiya-kōen is the celebrated
Imperial Hotel
, which was Tokyo's
first Western-style hotel when it opened in 1890 (see p.136). The original building
was subsequently replaced by a stunning creation from American architect Frank
Lloyd Wright: part Art Deco, part Aztec palace, it famously withstood both the Great
Kantō Earthquake (which struck the city on September 1, 1923, the day after the
hotel's formal opening) and World War II. After all this, Wright's building was
replaced in the 1960s by the looming tower you see today. Still, a hint of Wright's
style exists in the
Old Imperial Bar
(see p.168), which incorporates some of the
original brickwork.
Shiodome
ࣚཹ
East of the railway tracks lies the district of
Shiodome
, where a clutch of ultra-modern
skyscrapers now occupy the site of Japan Railways' old freight terminal. Known
collectively as
Shiodome Sio-Site
(
ࣚཹγΦαΠτ
), the towers are home to major
companies, including Nippon TV and Kyodo News.The most interesting sight in this
alienating concrete environment is the hi-tech Advertising Museum Tokyo, or
ADMT
.
From Shiodome, you can easily walk to Tsukiji (see p.80), or pick up the monorail to
Odaiba (see p.84).
Caretta Shiodome
ΧϨολࣚཹ
•
Advertising Museum Tokyo
ࠂͱϚʔέςΟϯάͷࢿྉؗ
• B1 Caretta Shiodome, Minato-ku • Tues-Fri
11am-6.30pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4.30pm • Free •
T
03 62182500,
W
admt.jp • Shiodome station
In the basement of the
Caretta Shiodome
skyscraper, the sleek headquarters of the
Dentsu ad agency, you'll find
Advertising Museum Tokyo
(ADMT), a small permanent
exhibition providing a fascinating flick through some of the twentieth century's most
arresting commercial images. Afterwards, zip up to the top of the building in the
glass-fronted lifts to the restaurants on the 46th and 47th floors for a free panoramic
view across Tokyo Bay and the Hama Rikyū Teien traditional garden.
Railway History Exhibition Hall
چ৽ڮఀं
, Kyūshinbashi Teishajō • 1-5-3 Shidome, Minato-ku • Tues-Sun 11am-6pm • Free •
T
03 3572 1872
Immediately west of Caretta Shiodome is Shiodome's second major tower complex,
Shiodome City Centre
. Back in 1872, this was the site of the original Shimbashi
Station, the terminus of Japan's first railway line. A faithful reproduction of the
station building, designed by American architect R.P. Bridgens, now rests
incongruously at the foot of the tower and contains the
Railway History Exhibition
Hall
. Part of the foundations of the original building, uncovered during excavations
on the site, have been preserved, and you can also see some engaging videos (in
English) about Japan's early railways, as well as woodblock prints and old photos of
how the area once looked.
TOKYO STATION
P.47
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