Shiodome

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Shiodome skyline

Shiodome (汐留) is an area in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, located adjacent to Shimbashi and Ginza, near Tokyo Bay and the Hamarikyu Gardens. Formerly a railway terminal, Shiodome has recently been transformed into one of Tokyo's most modern and architecturally stunning areas. Its 13 skyscrapers house the headquarters of All Nippon Airways, Dentsu, Bandai Visual, Fujitsu, Nippon Television and Softbank, as well as numerous hotels and restaurants. Shiodome Station is a stop on the Yurikamome and Toei Ōedo Line; the complex is also within walking distance of Shimbashi Station.

[edit] History

Like its neighbors Ginza and Tsukiji, Shiodome is built on what was originally marshland on the shore of Tokyo Bay. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu issued an order in 1603 to fill in the area, and throughout the Edo period Shiodome housed the local residences of various daimyo (feudal lords). The name Shiodome, which literally means "keeping out the tide," probably referred to the shogun's desire to isolate Edo Castle (now the Imperial Palace) from Tokyo Bay.

Following the Meiji Restoration, the new Imperial government expropriated the daimyo-held lands in Shiodome to build Shimbashi Station (新橋停車場, Shinbashi Teishajō^?). This served as the Tokyo terminus of the Tōkaidō Main Line, the first railway in Japan, from 1872 until 1914. In 1914, the line was extended to Tokyo Station, the passenger terminal at Shiodome was closed down, and Karasumori Station on the Yamanote Line was renamed Shimbashi Station.

Shiodome remained the primary freight yard for Tokyo through World War II, despite extensive damage from the Great Kanto earthquake which destroyed the original passenger terminal. During the postwar era it became a center for small-package shipping to and from central Tokyo. Shiodome Station was officially closed in 1986 as newer and larger terminals outside the center city had taken its place.

In 1995, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government concluded a plan to redevelop Shiodome as a new urban center. Construction began shortly thereafter and continued through 2006. Under the redevelopment plan, thirteen skyscrapers were built in Shiodome, as well as a number of smaller buildings. The old Shimbashi Station has also been rebuilt as a monument, although it is not operational.

[edit] Layout

Shiodome is a collection of 11 tiny town districts or cooperative zones (街区), but generally there are three main areas. One area is the Shiodome SIO-SITE (シオサイト), a collection of skyscrapers containing mostly businesses, hotels, and restaurants. It is just east of Shimbashi Station, and can be reached by strolling along the elevated walkway from the Yurikamome Shimbashi Station. A second main area, and a cooperative zone on its own is the Western district (西街区), located west of the JR tracks and populated by European-style buildings. Finally, there is the southern extension, east of the JR tracks from Hamamatsucho 1-chome. This area is for residential use, and there are three tall apartment buildings located there, along with a small park.

	Shiodome City Center		The central skyscraper district of Shiodome
Yurikamome train departing Shiodome Station	Nippon Television Tower	Restored old Shimbashi Station