Marunouchi

Tokyo Station is a must-see during your visit, for its architectural beauty, its proximity to important sites such as the Imperial Palace, the palace gardens, the financial district in addition to Nihonbashi. Plus, the large station is served by the Shinkansen, the country’s high-speed train, and is an important railway transition hub with more than 4,000 trains per day.

It is when you arrive from the palace, via Marunouchi Square, that you will be struck by the stunning contrast of the station with the more modern buildings around it and may notice a certain resemblance to Amsterdam Central Station. The red brick buildings with columns, square half-columns, bands, door frames and transoms of white stone integrated into them lead us to compare the stations.

Many details embellish this immense structure. Considering the domes, the black roof and the pediment dormers with a Japanese touch, there is enough to be amazed.

The central portico like the ones in mansions is, however, closed to divert the clientele towards the two ends.

The station is designated as a culturally significant property.

The first four platforms opened in 1914, construction having been postponed due to wars. The 3-storey station survived the great earthquake of 1923 but was hit by the bombing of May 25, 1945. Some brick walls and concrete floors survived and the building was rebuilt in a simpler form while retaining the solid foundations. Between 2007 and 2012, the precious pre-war style of the structure was restored, including the reconstruction of the domes.

Please note that the station can be accessed from two sides. Between the Imperial Palace and the station is the Marunouchi side with a more historical style and on the other, the Yaesu side, with modern architectural insertions, where you are on the Ginza side.

The imperial family uses the station for their travel. However, historically and on two occasions, in 1921 and 1930, the station was the site of a fatal attack on two Japanese prime ministers, Hara Takashi and Osachi Hamaguchi.

The station is impressive in size and in the range of services that go beyond rail transport. There is a prestigious hotel and several restaurant options for quick service, take-out or cafes. In addition, you will find an art gallery, for a fee, where you can see parts of the original brick wall. It is worth knowing that, like other museums in the city, this one is closed on Mondays unless it is a public holiday, in which case it will be closed on Tuesday.

Be aware that stations are also popular for storing your luggage and thus lightening your travels.

In the depths of the station, the “Tokyo Station City” is a group of fashion, souvenir and gadget shops for all budgets. There are three interesting sections with very evocative names: the one dedicated to Ramen (Tokyo Ramen Street), the one for restaurants in general (Tokyo Kitchen Street) and the one reserved for cartoons (Tokyo Character Street). The latter is a destination in itself and you risk stopping at more than one shop that offers games, clothes, collectibles, and plush toys in the colors of favorite characters whether it’s Hello Kitty, Winnie the Pooh, and others.

You can see why it is easy to spend a good part of the day at the resort.

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