Shibuya culture PROJECT

Green Shigeru Miyashita park

The closest "Oasis" from JR Shibuya Station is Miyashita Park located along the YAMANOTE LINE , about a 5-minute walk from the station. The 10,808 square meter park is full of trees and it is a bit dim even in the daytime. It is notable that young people in the middle of shopping and people who work in the area take a rest, and clubs and children who enjoy sports get together and are widely used as valuable green spaces near the station. Crossing the Miyashita Park and Meiji Dori, you will see a calm city with a different flavor from the commercial area in front of the station. This area is designated as a Bunkyo area and is dotted with high schools and many vocational schools, and there are many companies, housing complexes and apartments, so the age group of people walking on the street is wide. As you go up a gentle slope and approach Aoyama, the city becomes calm and you often see shops and cafes with high sensitivity. Unlike the station square, all of them are colored in the sense of "adult". That's why the whole city is not flashy, but it's characteristic of this area that there are many spots of uniqueness.

Born a new person of flow

Shibuya Station Exit 13, which can be at the foot of the Metorobiru

The opening of FUKU-TOSHIN LINE on June 14 has changed the flow of people traveling in and out of Shibuya. Of particular interest are the Miyashita Park and the "Miyashita Park Area", which consists of areas along Meiji Dori. The starting point is the intersection with the signal of "Miyashita Park", exit 13 of Shibuya Station at FUKU-TOSHIN LINE located at the foot of Shibuya Subway Building. By using this exit, there is no need to go through the crowds in front of the station when going from Shibuya Station to Aoyama or Harajuku, and the convenience has been greatly enhanced. As a result, not only the congestion in front of the station will be alleviated, but it is expected that a new flow of people will be born.

Miyashita park around 1951
(Shirane Memorial Shibuya Provincial Museum, Museum of Literature Library)

First, let's understand the origin of the Miyashita Park Area. Before the war, the area around Tokyo Children's Center and former Shibuya Elementary School in Shibuya 1-chome were the homes of the Nashimoto Miyaya. The area is 20,000 tsubo, and it is said that the entrance of the palace was located at the position of "Aoyama Twin Tower" and "Ori Gate" around "First Gardening" of Aoyama Street. However, in the aftermath of the war in World War II, and after the war, GHQ's directive required a huge amount of property tax to be paid, forcing the disposal of most of the site. The place name "Miyashita" that still remains in Miyashita Park is derived from being located "below" the Nashimoto Miya family. On the other hand, Miyashita Park was born in 1948, shortly after the war. At that time, except for the Toyoko Department Store in front of the station, there were no tall buildings around, and it was a park where the field between the Shibuya and Uda rivers was maintained. As the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 held the river, the rivers will be concealed, and in 1966, a parking lot will be built in the park site, predicting the automobile society that will come in the near future. Mr. Toshikazu Kobayashi, chairman of the Meiji Avenue Miyashita Park Store Association, said, "There was a second aerial park in Japan, which was a great topic at the time of completion, and there were many people who bother to take a train and come and go I look back on those days. In the 1960s and 70s, Miyashita Park became a hub for student movement. In the background, it seems that there was a situation such as "Student group got an eye out because the fee for using the park was low" (Mr. Kobayashi). In addition, a trolley bus has been running on Meiji Dori since 1955 and has been part of the route connecting Shibuya and Ikebukuro. This route is taken over by the Miyako Bus "Ike 86" and overlaps with the current FUKU-TOSHIN LINE .

Metabolism to accelerate

It has been decided the demolition
Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall

What changes will the Miyashita Park Area follow? The first is the Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Center, which opened in 1964. It boasts a height of popularity that is said to be called "charisma" of the children's hall because of the first time the facilities have been enhanced, but the closing of the building is decided by the aging of the building, and the "Children's Family Center" (provisional name-Shinjuku Ward) scheduled to open in 2009 It will be integrated into the There are also other plans for demolition, and the development of this area will attract attention in the future. On the other hand, in 2004, a large-scale commercial facility "PICASSO347" was opened in this area with many street stores, and it was renewed to "cocoti" in 2006. In addition to restaurants and shops, a wide variety of stores and facilities such as movie theaters and fitness facilities will move in. Takashi Aoki of Tokyu Malls Development, who operates cocoti, said, "Shibuya has a strong image of 'Youth town', but of course there are also many adults. Especially in this area where there are many adults, adults can comfortably stay I would like to propose time and space. " The first sales on Saturday and Sunday after the opening of FUKU-TOSHIN LINE and the number of customers were also significantly higher than the previous year. It seems obvious that FUKU-TOSHIN LINE effect is increasing the number of people. Furthermore, in 2012, at the timing when TOKYU TOYOKO LINE and FUKU-TOSHIN LINE begin to cross each other, a complex high-rise building will be completed on the 33rd floor, with theaters etc. entering the Tokyu Bunka Kaikan site. Taking the tailwind of infrastructure maintenance, the metabolism of Miyashita Park area must be accelerated from the Shibuya Station east exit in the future.

Miyashita Park intersection
The back of the line, see the Tower Records · OIOI · Parco Part 2.