History of Shiodome

Ieyasu Tokugawa (1542–1616), the first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty established his capital in Edo (today's Tokyo) in 1590, which until then had been a small garrisoned village with a regional castle belonging to the Hojo aristocratic family from Odawara.
At that time, Edo was nothing in comparison to Osaka and Kyoto and the rolling hills of the Musashino Plateau extended to the coastline which ran from today's JR East Tamachi Station parallel to Hibiya Dori passing just by Zojoji Temple then cutting in the direction of Kasumigaseki and extending directly below Edo castle standing at the headland of the Hibiya inlet. As a result, the area around today's Shiodome was shallow tidal flats used for fishing shrimp, etc.
After establishing Edo as his capital, Ieyasu's first act was to rebuild Edo castle; the outer fortifications were constructed of large stones carried from the Izu Peninsula and the soil from the mound excavations was used to fill-in the Hibiya inlet. After the establishment of the bakufu military government in 1603, various daimyo (feudal lords) were ordered to continue filling in the tidal flats, reclaiming the land from Nihombashi Hamacho to Shimbashi. The military government put a great deal of effort into planning a city with an extensive network of canals for transporting goods.
By the time of the fourth shogun, Ietsuna Tokugawa (1651–80), the Hibiya inlet had been completely reclaimed and the lords who had undertaken the reclamation were building their Edo manor houses. Shiodome was the site of the suburban residences of the lords of Sendai and Aizu clans. The south-east side of Shiodome, which was sea at the time, was ceded to Ietsuna's brother, Tsunashige (1644–78), who reclaimed it to create the Hamagoten (Hama Palace, now Hama Detached Palace); this interesting anecdote shows the continued efforts to reclaim land throughout the Edo Period (1603–1867).
The final stage of the Edo waterfront development occurred with the building of the Odaiba Artillery Battery at Shinagawa to defend the coast against the so-called kurofune (Black Ships) from the west. US Commodore Mathew Calbraith Perry (1794–1858) landed in 1853 in Uraga along Edo Bay to start forced negotiations about establishing diplomatic and commercial relations with the USA and the ensuing social turmoil triggered the collapse of the bakufu and the Meiji Restoration in 1867. The main pillars of the new Meiji government's policy to enrich and strengthen the country were rapid development of steel manufacturing and a distribution system for agricultural products through the introduction of railways. In 1868, the new government decided to build the first line between Tokyo and Kobe passing through Kyoto and Osaka. Financing and technical know-how for the line construction were both obtained from Great Britain, the leading railway power of the day.
However, in addition to the problem of choosing whether to lay the main line along the route of the old Tokaido or Nakasendo highways, there was also severe resistance to trains from villagers living along the proposed alignments and from packhorse transport operators. Furthermore, the military was opposed to tracks on their land facing Tokyo Bay, delaying the start of construction even further. And the general populace did not really understand the usefulness of railways and ‘…did not want the sparks (from the steam locomotives) causing fires in the city.’
On advice from British railway engineers, it was decided to build an example railway first to demonstrate the usefulness of railways and construction of a line between Shimbashi in Tokyo and Yokohama started in 1869. Due to government's limited finances at the time, the track was laid to the less-expensive 3'6" (1067 mm) narrow-gauge specification then used commonly throughout the colonies of the British Empire. However, Shigenobu Okuma (1838–1922), Minister of Finance in the Meiji government and twice Prime Minister in later years, greatly regretted not building the tracks to standard gauge.
Notwithstanding this, construction proceeded simultaneously from both the Shinagawa and Yokohama ends until resistance from trackside residents and the military forced a realignment on newly reclaimed land at Takanawa-kaigan between Shiba and Shinagawa. Despite these temporary setbacks, Japan's first railway was opened by the Meiji Emperor (1852–1912) on 14 October 1872.
The Meiji Emperor departed from Shimbashi Station for Yokohoma to the echoes of a 101-gun salute and the train hauled by a steam locomotive belching black smoke covered the 29 km between Shimbashi and Yokohama in just 54 minutes for an average speed (including stops) of 32.8 km/h. This speed astonished Japanese people at that time who exclaimed that it was like ‘…travelling on the wind’ and many people came to the station or lined the track just to see the train. The departure whistle at Shimbashi Station even became the subject of a popular song. After its opening, the station environ soon became a venue for young urbane Japanese and intellectuals and a symbol of Japan's modernity. However, with the opening of Tokyo Station in 1914, passenger departures were moved to Karasumori Station (today's Shimbashi Station) and the first Shimbashi Station was renamed Shiodome Station and became a freight terminal.
The importance of Shiodome was captured in the phrase ‘Shiodome for the east and Umeda (in Osaka) for the west’ and Shiodome remained Japan's most important freight yard throughout the Taisho (1912–26) and Showa (1926–89) periods. In particular, Shiodome increased rapidly in importance following the 1936 establishment of the Tokyo Metropolitan Wholesale Market in Tsukiji handling shipments of fruits, vegetables, and fish for Tokyo, nicknamed Japan's kitchen. It also played a major role in Japan's postwar revitalization.
However, the modern era gradually crept up on Shiodome with the opening of the Meishin Expressway between Nagoya and Kobe in 1965 and the volume of freight handled by the yard dropped steadily from its peak of 3.35 million tonnes in 1961 as long-distance trucking businesses gradually took a larger market share. To counter this drop in freight business, Japan National Railways (JNR) endeavored to improve rail-freight services by starting containerized shipments but the shift to a motorized society during the period of high economic growth in the 1970s was characterized by a major decline in the role of railways in freight distribution. As a result, the 1987 privatization and division of JNR also saw the closure of Shiodome as a freight yard in October that year, ending its 114-year history at the heart of Japanese railways.
As part of the railway reforms, ownership of the abandoned 22-ha Shiodome yard was transferred in April 1988 to the JNR Settlement Corporation (JNRSC) responsible for selling surplus JNR land and paying down the remaining JNR liabilities, marking a new beginning in the history of this land, which was reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the early Edo period and ended as a freight yard in the late Showa Period.

Detailed Examination of Land Usage Plan

In April 1984, the Cabinet Economic Reform Council started examining concrete measures for making effective use of national land, including large freight yards like Shiodome, Shinjuku, Kinshicho (Tokyo) and Umeda (Osaka). In May of the same year, the government-based consultative committee started work and in July, JNR established the in-house Shiodome Freight Yard Basic Concept Research Group. Investigations were made by government bodies, JNR, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), and the local councils of Tokyo's Minato and Chuo wards.
In February 1986, the then National Land Agency, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction established the Shiodome Area Planning Investigation Committee (SAPIC), which reported the results of its investigations in August 1988. The JNRSC had been established in April of the same year and discussions were held with JNRSC Asset Management Committee about the handing over of large areas of old JNR land as part of the land usage reforms. The development of Shiodome within the land usage plans was discussed in September 1988.
In addition, the in-depth investigation of SAPIC proceeded and a report into the committee's findings was presented in March 1989. The results of the JNRSC were integrated with the SAPIC report and the findings were presented at the 9th Meeting of the Asset Management Committee in February 1991.
The policy concepts were to create an internationalized multi-functional city space through:

•	Introduction of state-of-the-art office functions suiting creation of a new international business base
•	Building of residential space to revitalize the city core
•	Introduction of various transport modes, city amenities, etc.
•	Consolidation of transport infrastructure with convenient and spacious terminals for good national and international connections via shinkansen, railways and expressways

The land usage plan proposed dividing the site into four zones (Fig. 1) as follows based on functionality:

•	Shimbashi–Ginza Block (divided into Zones A, B and C) This complex would be focused on international key businesses.
•	Shimbashi Block (divided into Zones D north and E) This complex would be focused on cultural and transport amenities.
•	Hamamatsucho Block (divided into Zones H and I) This complex would be focused on city businesses and would include residential space.
•	Shimbashi–Hamamatsucho Separation Block (divided into Zones D south and D west) This complex would be focused on business and commerce and would include residential space.

To form a concrete investment plan based on the above concepts and proposals, the JNRSC, TMG and Minato Ward established the Rail City Shiodome Project Corporation in March 1991. In addition, in October 1991, the JNRSC established the 100% capitalized Shiodome Development Corporation for the purpose of bringing the Shiodome development to early fruition.

Outline of City Plan

The Shiodome development covers a very large area of central city land. To ensure integrated development in harmony with the surrounding area, the report of the JNRSC Asset Management Committee proposed that the JNRSC and TMG work together on the town planning basic concept as follows:

•	TMG would perform the town planning work to assure development with high public benefit.
•	A redevelopment plan would be defined to ensure creation of an attractive city including the surrounding neighbourhood.

The following city plans were developed based on these proposals.

Roads and new transport links
In July 1991, it was decided to build additional route 313; Minato ward roads No. 2 and No. 3; Bay pedestrian street (deck) No. 2; and the Yurikamome Tokyo Waterfront New Transport (to start operations in July 1996 from the provisionally named Shimbashi Station). At a further planning meeting in August 1993, these original plans were extended to include Additional Route 3, Minato Ward Road No. 4; Bay underground pedestrian street No. 3, and underground branch No. 1 to Additional Route 313.

Town planning
The town planning and business plans were decided in August 1992 and March 1995, respectively, followed by the first and second rounds of business plan changes in October 1997 and July 1998.

Redevelopment zone plan
The basic city plans were decided in August 1992 and the zoning (A, B and C) was mapped out in August 1996. Changes to the redevelopment plan (addition of Zone D south and Zone H) were made in December 1998. In addition, progress was made in making realignments to Tokyo's key transport facilities such as subway line No. 12 (today's TMG Oedo Line) and Ring Road No. 2 (within the Shiodome redevelopment site).

Rezoning and changes to standard floor space ratio
Japanese building regulations are based on land usage zones and ratios of building floor area to lot size, which is specified as 400% for a standard industrial zone like Shiodome had been in its railway lifetime. However, in August 1996, the TMG approved rezoning of Zones A, B and C to a commercial zone with a building floor area ratio of 800%, permitting much higher buildings on the available land areas.

Town Planning

Details of Shiodome land usage
The TMG wanted the land usage plans to be resolved as quickly as possible for the following reasons:

•	To start operating Yurikamome in time for the opening of the World City Expo to assure smooth transport between the city centre and waterfront development
•	To promote construction of the Oedo Line, which was expected to run under Additional Route 313
•	To promote construction of Ring Road No. 2 between Toranomon and Shimbashi specified in current city plans at the same time as working on the Shiodome land usage and to secure required substitute JNRSC land inside the Shiodome site
•	To assure a spacious city matching international norms by examining land usage and designs for open spaces, parks, etc.

On the other hand, the most important aim of the JNRSC was fast repayment of the long-term liabilities taken over from JNR and it put a great deal of effort into meetings to assure rapid rezoning to include basic city amenities such as roads and parks. As a result, to assure fast development of the Shiodome area, the TMG planners decided to start construction of the Shimbashi–Takeshiba section of the Yurikamome Tokyo Waterfront New Transport system first. Next, the TMG Planning Department finalized the Shiodome land usage plan for the area including the adjacent neighbourhood (30.7 ha in total) at a meeting in August 1992, followed by a decision on the business plan in March 1995.

Outline of business plans
The planned public facilities are outlined below:

•	The purpose of the Shiodome development in the heart of Toyo is to create a highly-functional basic infrastructure appropriate to an international business centre. For this purpose, there is a strong need to build high-level facilities including Japan's largest extensive underground pedestrian mall and shared-use public amenities.
•	Ring Road No. 2 and Additional Route 313 will become arterial roads and grade separation will be used where Ring Road No. 2 crosses the JR East lines. A road under Route 313 will provide convenient access to underground parking in buildings in the planned Shiodome development. The plans call for a 40-m wide underground walkway in the underground sections of Route 313 and Minato Ward Route 3. A high pedestrian deck will create pleasant, convenient and safe pedestrian spaces.
•	Parks will be built on the east and west sides of the JR lines.
•	Utility processing facilities will be built at the same time as the facilities of each utility company. To permit smooth traffic flows and conservation of road structures, all public utilities including drainage, cab system and electric power supply will be underground.

Re-examination of business plan
The need to change some of the road layout and city plans coupled with the collapse of land prices and the deferment of land sales by the Japanese government had a major impact on the planned development and it became necessary to re-examine the business plan.
Since substitute land had already been allocated in Zones A, B and C, any changes could not have a major impact on the plans, so the level of public facilities was re-examined, including changes to the TMG plans with the aim of cutting costs and increasing the area of deferred land sales. As a result, the business plans were changed in October 1997. Subsequently, a meeting in July 1998 made further slight changes to the business plan because of changes made to the road alignment and splayed area when determining changes to the land usage.

Land usage commission
In June 1995, the Land Usage Commission was formed by electing seven members of the Residential Landowners Committee including the JNRSC Kanto Branch Chairman and one member of the Tenants Committee; two expert members were selected by the Governor of Tokyo.

Replotting designs
The replotting designs were conducted in two parts. In the first part in March 1996, the development site was divided into Zones A, B and C according to the JNRSC land disposal schedule; in the second part in February 1994, the rest of the remaining land was parcelled out. However, the west side of the JR tracks was dotted with many private landowners and public facilities and amenities; these residents were given the opportunity of moving into condominiums or replotting to the east side of the JR tracks.
The main location of the 32,370 m² of land put under deferred disposal by the Japanese government was about 18,000 m² in Zone D north, about 3000 m² in Zone I and about 11,000 m² in each of the zones on the west side of the JR tracks. However, sales priority for the deferred land was given to people wanting to rebuild their lives easily.

Provisional plot designation
The majority of the former land on the east side of the JR tracks was owned by JNRSC and since underground construction work was already progressing on the Yurikamome Tokyo Waterfront New Transport system, the new Oedo Line subway and the TMG Additional Route 313, the first provisional plot designation was performed in March 1996 with movements to Zones A, B and C that would not have any impact on other owners. The second provisional plot designation was performed in February 1998 with moves into all the other remaining JNRSC land (Zones D3, D south, E and H).

Land Redevelopment Plan

Generally, redevelopment depends on acquiring a reasonably large parcel of land in a good central location even if there are only poor public facilities. However, in the case of the Shiodome redevelopment, since the basic city infrastructure like roads and public amenities were being put in place by the town planning work, the 2nd facility and local facilities focused mainly on work in the residential areas.

Basic proposal
The zones in the redevelopment business plan included the entire land redevelopment area of 30.7 ha including the west side of the JR tracks and the results were decided by the TMG in August 1992 as the Shiodome Redevelopment Plan (Basic policy).

Adjustment plan

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First stage (Zones A, B and C) The plans for Zones A, B and C were decided at the August 1996 meeting to decide additional changes to the redevelopment plan.

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Second stage At the second meeting in December 1998, the TMG planners decided to add new Zones D4 (D south) and H (including land reserved for JR ventilation ducts) to the original planning revisions. At the same time, part of the zones in the redevelopment plan for the west side of the JR tracks were cut for the purpose of reducing the total land area (from 30.7 ha to 25.1 ha) and the plan became part of the Minato Ward New City Guidance Plan.

Development Plan

Sales procedure
To create an attractive subcentre fit for the 21st century, opinions were canvassed from many different people in all walks of life related to the Shiodome area. The Shiodome Forum was opened in February 1996 and panel discussions were held by experts. In these discussions, a main theme was how to create an attractive city combining both free development and conformance with planning demands such as the TMG plans. Next, the JNRSC published a set of concrete City Guidelines to assure the cooperation of the land purchasers in the aim of building an attractive cityscape as well as Land Sale Terms that land purchasers would have to follow; JNRSC also established a City Alliance Committee to promote the city development.
In addition, to draw up concrete plans for the land usage and construction, the JNRSC held consultative meetings with the government and settled on a joint redevelopment plan with the land purchasers. After the TMG planning decisions, the transfer of the land ownership was handled using the Construction Planning Guidance method.

Development plans
Zone A, B and C at the Ginza end of the site received provisional land swap in February 1996 and were auctioned off in February 1997. Dentsu Inc. purchased Zone A, Mitsui Fudosan, Matsushita Electric Works, and Alderney Investments Pte Ltd Group purchased Zone B, and Nippon Television Broadcasting Network purchased Zone C. Zones D4 (D south), E and H received provisional land swap in February 1998; Zone D4 was sold to a group of 8 companies led by Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd., and Mitsui Fudosan, Zone E was sold to Kyodo News Agency and Toppan Forms Co. Ltd., while Zone H was purchased by the then Housing and Urban Development Corporation (now Urban Development Corporation).
Redevelopment plans were drawn up for each zone in line with the City Guidelines; tower blocks for businesses, offices, hotels, etc., with a planned floor area of 600,000 m² and a maximum height up to about 200 m were planned for Zones A, B and C at the Ginza end of the site. In addition, to maintain a good city skyline around the Hamarikyuonshi Park adjacent to Zones D4 (D south) and H, height restrictions were placed on the height of a planned 2000 residential units. In Zone E, plans were drawn up for tower blocks including cultural and transport-related facilities.
In addition, the City Alliance Committee members and the TMG planning department held a development meeting on Public Facilities for the Shiodome Redevelopment in October 1998 to work on a plan and schedule for public facilities that would match the overall development plans.

Railway remains
During a survey excavation for historic remains conducted from 1991 in the area of the Shiodome site, the foundations of the first Shimbashi Station terminus of the first railway line built in Japan were found along with the platforms and track beds in Zone B. It was decided to preserve 1824 m² of these historic railway remains and on 18 October 1996, the Old Shimbashi Station Terminus was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property by the national government as the result of a report by the Cultural Properties Commission. The JNRSC was selling the Shiodome site containing these historic remains but in December 1996 the Old Shimbashi Station Terminus Preservation and Restoration Working Group was established under the leadership of the late Emeritus Professor Yoshinosuke Yasoshima of the University of Tokyo. An inspection was made on how to preserve the remains and the best method for restoring the Old Shimbashi Station Terminus and in March 1998, the JNRSC asked the East Japan Railway Culture Foundation (EJRCF) to manage the preservation and restoration work. Based on the work of the previously mentioned Preservation and Restoration Working Group, the JNRSC drew up a concrete proposal following the requirements of the Cultural Properties Commission to preserve and restore the remains and based on the City Guidelines for redeveloping Zones A, B and C in the Shiodome site.

City Guidelines (Zones A, B and C)

The Shiodome area was one of the few remaining large parcels of open land left in the centre of Tokyo, and offered a chance to build both an attractive urban subcentre as well as a way to revitalize the economic activity of Tokyo as a whole and to establish a better and fuller life for Tokyo residents. The City Guidelines gave concrete form to the plan to build an attractive cityscape through assuring the cooperation of people purchasing the Shiodome land from JNRSC. In addition to establishing the basic rules for cooperation between the various landowners, the guidelines also established concrete methods to assure a unified concept for the Shiodome development.

•	Prosperous and active city In addition to providing various infrastructure functions for business, the aim was to build a prosperous and intimate subcentre where people could gather easily.
•	Stylish city The aim of the designers was to build a town with tasteful building exteriors and a calm atmosphere
•	Green city Tokyo has a smaller area of parks and green spaces per head of population than many other international cities, and the planners aim was remedy this partially by creating more verdant green spaces in the heart of the city.
•	Shiodome identity The Shiodome district is an historic part of Tokyo and the planners tried to design a city for the 21st century that still retained some of its older character.
•	Affluent city The plan was to build an active top-level business centre that still retained the essential elements of good city living such as residential units, transport links, cultural facilities, etc., to provide an enjoyable and livable environment.
•	Autonomous city The aim was create an autonomous safe urban subcentre based on sound sustainable principles such as energy conservation, recycling, etc.

Guidelines

Characteristics of each zone
The characteristics of each zone were established in line with the basic redevelopment plan.
Zones A, B and C are mainly centred around business and commerce; the office-related floor area in Zones A, B and C was re-examined for Zones A, B, C, D4 and H, and was limited to the total floor area corresponding to the fair ratio of building size to lot size. In addition, there are also non-office uses such as hotels, shops, kiosks, halls, etc.
Zones D4 and H that were expected to be land swap to JNRSC were developed as dedicated high-density residential zones matching the Shiodome identity. In addition, the housing requirements for Zones A, B and C based on Minato ward's housing guidelines were matched with other JNRSC swapped land to create more centralized housing in both Zones D4 and H.
The heights of buildings in Zones E, D and H forming the heart of the Shiodome site were kept low following the redevelopment concept of creating open green-planted spaces through which fresh air could circulate easily in the heart of the city.

Building development
In addition to landscaping a beautiful green city, the building designs were harmonized to assure an exterior theme. The height of each building was planned in accordance with the redevelopment and construction concepts to create a regulated skyline. (The height of buildings in Zones A, B and C was limited to about 210 m above ground level by flight path restrictions for nearby Haneda Airport.) To relieve any oppressive feelings of ultra-high skyscrapers on pedestrians, the buildings were designed like pyramids with larger floor areas at the lower levels and smaller floor areas at the higher levels as well as with suitable facilities and amenities like restaurants, shopping malls, cinemas and other amusements to create a bustling and prosperous urban centre. However, facilities like betting shops, gambling parlors, etc., with potential adverse social impact were not built.
To create a new tasteful cityscape, consideration was given to the building forms and exteriors as well as to positioning and use of signs and advertising hoardings.

Development of Public Spaces

Plazas, etc.
Smooth pedestrian flow underground and to and from the surface in Zones A, B and C is assured by roads such as Minato Ward Route 3 and Additional Route 313, underground malls, and open spaces like the Sankun Plaza (Plaza 1 in the redevelopment plan); this plaza is centrally arranged to provide access to each of Zones A, B and C and has a total area of 5200 m² divided between the three zones (about 1500 m² in Zone A, 1800 m² in Zone B and 1400 m² in Zone C).
The designers of the Sankun Plaza have adopted a modern barrier-free design using a large number of escalators and lifts to linking the Plaza with the surface and pedestrian decks.
In addition, each part of the Plaza in Zones A, B and C has a unique ambience achieved through wall art, etc., typifying the character of the zone. A good example is the impression achieved at the entrance to the Ginza part of Zone B. The Sankun Plaza and the lower levels of the buildings connected to the Plaza have restaurants, shopping malls, amusements, etc.

Pedestrian deck
Public space 1 (pedestrian deck) defined in the redevelopment plans provides a smooth connection between the Shiodome area and Ginza, and the Shimbashi and Hamatsucho sides. The target was to create a public space with an area of more than 2000 m² in Zone A.
The pedestrian decks in Zones B and C provide easy access with pedestrian walkway 2 (public pedestrian deck). In addition, the pedestrian deck in Zone C is linked with Zone E.
The pedestrian decks in each zone have been integrated with the buildings as far as possible to facilitate passage between buildings but they are also arranged to provide pedestrians with an interesting walk. The pedestrian decks are barrier-free, all on the same level and sheltered from rain, etc. The design of the Plaza, decks and other public spaces has been organized into a unified whole to provide a pleasing and pleasant environment.

Management of green spaces, parks, etc.
In addition to greening the various public spaces to encourage people to gather in each of the zones, as many tree-planted areas as possible have been provided with the idea of creating a calming and pleasant cityscape.
On the Hama Detached Palace Garden side of the development, large trees have been planted to create a green belt and landscaping with trees has been used throughout the development to create an integrated and green natural environment.
Lighting has an important effect on mood and evening illumination is provided throughout the development to enhance the attractiveness of the area.

Joint facilities management
All services required for the common good, such as air conditioning, waste collection, controls on radio interference by mobile telephones, gardening services, safety patrols and cleaning are jointly managed by the site landowners.

Safety and disaster prevention
Each zone has fire hydrants, and stores of emergency drinking water and food to provide relief in case of a major disaster like an earthquake. Similarly, as far as possible, each zone has helipads on the tops of major buildings and in open spaces to assist in emergency rescues. In addition, emergency evacuation sites are designated in open spaces.

Assured public car parking
Space for public car parking is available in the legally required building car parks and this public parking is linked as far as possible to underground branch 1 of Additional Route 313.

Revitalizing an historic resource
The historic remains of Japan's first railway station composed of the station foundation, both sides of the platform and track bed are preserved in their current conditions as a Tangible Cultural Property and an exhibition hall has been built on the site of the Old Shimbashi Station by EJRCF to recreate an image of the early days of Japanese railways. In addition to its aim of drawing people to the restoration site and exhibition hall symbolizing the railway history of Shiodome, the station rebuilding aims to play a role in revitalizing the Shiodome area.
The above plans and concepts for building a new urban subcentre are gradually progressing in each zone of the Shiodome site which is finally starting to come together as a whole and we are looking forward eagerly to the project completion in the next 18 months (Table 1).