Tokyo's New Shopping Complexes in Shibuya, Odaiba and Asakusa

Shibuya Hikarie, Diver City Odaiba and Sky Tree Solamachi

Japan has been going through a long period of economic struggle, and the natural disaster of last year damaged it even more.  However, Tokyo recently added three new shopping complexes -- one in Shibuya called Hikarie, another called Diver City in Odaiba, and the third, Solamachi, under the Sky Tree.

Shibuya Hikarie Grand Opening

Despite the lack of English information available right now, which is unusual for a newly introduced attraction like that, Shibuya Hikarie opened its doors on April 26th.  Recently (meaning except during the recession after the disaster) most visitors are from China so lots of tourist attractions provide Chinese information which seems to urge English information as well; but this place doesn't seem to have it set up yet.

 

This is the successor of Tokyu Bunka Kaikan (Cultural Center) shopping center. This place has long been known for its planetarium. Even when I was a child, the planetarium was that building. I was shocked by the news they closed the business there, but in fact it has been revived by a new, modern establishment. Taking the place of the old Tokyu, this impressive refurbished mall has shops, restaurants, movie theaters and event halls as well as several galleries; and of course the planetarium. However the complex has been completely updated and targets adult women rather than teenagers. The name "Hikarie" is "hikari e 光へ" means "towards light". It has in the lower floors corridors that connect to the Shibuya train terminal, where 8 train lines converge.

Sorry, I didn't find a good video in English, so here is a clip in Spanish.

Diver City, Odaiba

Odaiba is a whole new place to me, you the readers probably know about it a lot better than I do. So I will explain what I know. Odaiba means battery. The island was built as a battery to protect Edo, nowadays Tokyo, after the 1853-54 visit of Commodore Perry. It had been a coastal park for a long time but I grew up in the age of air and water pollution; I never went there. I only knew there were ruins of the battery on that site, which was interesting to me.

A few years ago, one day I was talking with a guy who had just visited Tokyo. I asked him where he stayed and he explained the location, which went, in my knowledge, off the cliff. I mean, Tokyo Bay ended in the middle of his explanation in my mind but it continued in his visit. Yeah, they extended the landfill -- that I never knew. So, I think this is built on the newer landfill.

Diver City, which opened on April 19th, features a large complex of shopping, dining and attractions; you can browse in this page too. It seems, in my observation on the net, to target a casual crowd rather than high end. It has the regular suspects in the malls all over in the US such as Old Navy and Auntie Ann's pretzels. I know these places, so seeing them there is nothing special to me. But they are new to Japanese. 

The most talked-about spots are the Calbee's store and the life size (?!) Gundam, a robot transformer statue. They only have a take out only shop for Gundam Cafe - the eat-in cafe is in Akihabara - but the statue is a big favorite of visitors. Calbee is a large snack producer, probably the biggest, for Japanese potato chips. They have a take out shop in the store which serves fresh fried potato chips that I've seen many times in Japanese blogs of common people. They line up for a long time to get these just fried chips.

Tokyo Solamachi

Okay! This establishment is built in an area I'm familiar with, near Asakusa, by the Tokyo Sky Tree. It opened on May 18th. This large shopping and amusement complex surrounds and is attached to the Tokyo Sky Tree. It has a couple of restaurants in the high floors of the building next to the tower so I don't know how to describe the building location.

The area is in Oshiage of Sumida ward in current address, commonly known as an area of Shitamachi which is old residential area. Therefore this place is more traditional and domestic oriented. They have 312 businesses including shops and restaurants and many of them are from the domestic area. Some of them have been carried by a few generations. The video introduced shops selling original sweets and jewelry as well as traditional crafts and curios. It also has an aquarium.

Although the near-by train station of Tobu line changed its name to Tokyo Sky Tree, the station used be called Narihira-bashi (業平橋 Narihira Bridge). It was named after Ariwara no Narihira, a legendary good looking romantic poet who lived during the 9th century, and supposedly the main character of Ise Monogatari (Tales of Ise). The area used to be Narihira which is from the shrine dedicated for him.

The broader area also is known as Mukoujima - it is familiar to people like me who grew up in Asakusa, which means "the island across (the river)". The area is on the other side of Sumida river from Asakusa.

For the both sides of the river, the area never had been fashionable. Well, actually it had been at the turn of the century, around the 1870's. But it was hit pretty hard by the WWII air raids, and was a forgotten domestic dead area ever since, especially when we were kids.

It was a big topic a few years back when I visited Tokyo that the city would soon see a new tall tower like Tokyo Tower by the Narihira river.  My friends and I didn't that expect a major attraction like this would be coming, though. Fashionable boutiques and updated buildings don't fit the area. I thought it could adopt the updated fashion like Shibuya or Odaiba and they are close but not quite.

Even though the sleek look of the tower and all new shops in the brand new Solamachi mall are nice to look at, the architects did not forget to add the spirit of Shitamachi, that is what I observed from the video. The domestic shoe maker doesn't have one of those cute girls or boys, instead, they have this middle age guy explaining his long time inherited business and a guy sawing a shoe. The guy of the fish market says he wants neighbors to come and shop everyday... uh... you want to turn this major tourist attraction a supermarket, my dear?? I love these people.

Well, it's not like any other shopping malls I've seen but I bet it is a fun place to visit. Of course, you'll get the updated attractions as well.

Nippon in My Neighborhood

Life has changed completely for me in a short space of time. Now I have a new home, a new job and a new commute. Every day I leave home by 6:00am, drive a few minutes to the train station, then take my place on the platform with the other Chicago "Metra commuters." My ride to work? A commuter train that takes me to downtown Chicago in about an hour.  Except for the train commute, I'm not new to Chicago. A decade ago I spent eight years living here, and back then I always got around by car.  Mass transit was not something I cared much about.

My transportation situation changed completely when I moved to Japan. Every single day I rode a city train to work, and took the subways all the time at night and on weekends. Sometimes I took the bus. On lucky occasions I got to travel on the fast and futuristic looking Shinkansen, Japan's network of high speed bullet trains that run like clockwork and zip you across the country to another city by the time you've finished your coffee and some lunch. They are clean, comfortable and beautiful. Train attendants wear uniforms and white gloves. Hostesses serve beverages and snacks stocked on drive-thru carts.  Life is good when you're a passenger on the Shinkansen watching the countryside go by, usually at speeds of over 100 miles per hour (especially if you're in the Green Car -- first class!).
 
Riding a train again is convenient and stress-free. Not only for getting to work but also for attending events in Chicago and other locations.  It removes the headache of parking and traffic. Metra commuter trains are comfortable, well managed and on time. Apps that run on my iPhone make checking schedules and getting updates very easy.

So, a couple of weeks ago I was standing on the train platform out here in Chicago suburbia, and noticed the tracks had "Nippon" stamped on them. Wow, we have rails made in Japan. Okay, that's interesting.

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Not long after that I was in one of the commuter train cabins when I looked up and saw this:

Chicago Metra has contracted a Japanese company to make our commuter trains? Excellent decision!  For years I have been hoping America would tap into the engineering expertise of Japan to make some trains for us. They are SO GOOD at it.  We have Amtrak.  Twenty years ago I rode Amtrak trains a few times. The seats were so uncomfortable I had back pain for days after the train ride was over. Once the train lurched so hard I thought our train car jumped off the tracks. The ride was very bumpy, noisy and unstable. Every experience was bad, so I promised myself, never again. Japan does it differently.


Nippon Sharyo, Ltd. (日本車輌製造株式会社  (Nippon Sharyō Seizō Kabushiki-gaisha) was established in 1896, and today is a major manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車.  In 2008, JR Central became the majority shareholder of the financially struggling Nippon Sharyo making the firm a subsidiary of JR Central.

This company has been in the train business for over one hundred years. Now it designs city trains and bullet trains in Japan; each have smaller carbon footprints - so much better for the environment.  Above right is an image of the N700 series Shinkansen. Below left is a photo of the Odakyu Railway "Romance Car VSE-50000" - both are built by Nippon Sharyō. These trains are currently running in Japan. Only time will tell which train designs will be introduced to the States.

 In order to expand in the North America market, the company entered into a joint venture company with Sumitomo Corporation to form a firm called Nippon Sharyō U.S.A. The headquarters is right here in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, IL.  Nippon Sharyō U.S.A. is doing well, winning commuter train contracts besides Illinois:  Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, California and Michigan, for example. If you want to read more, here is an interesting brochure in .pdf format. This is what the brochure looks like.

The company is also reaching out to help customers internationally.  You can find Nippon Sharyō trains in these countries outside the United States:  Brazil, Venezuela, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines.

I love the idea of Americans learning the Japanese way of transport: 1) walking more, 2) riding public transport much more, and 3) depending less on cars and oil as individuals and as a country. I think many Americans could get used to a different way of getting from Point A to Point B besides taking to the highways or airports.  I told my brother the other day:  "Imagine if you could get on a train here in Chicago and arrive in Indianapolis or St. Louis in an hour.  Or head west and be in Denver in a couple of hours flat."  "Wow, that would be great!" he said. Right now, Americans like us have only two methods to make such trips:  driving or flying.  Both ways are getting more expensive and becoming more of a hassle.  There are trains and busses, but they are slower.  A really nice modern train would be a perfect way to travel to another American city. Nippon Sharyō to the rescue! Today, commuter trains, tomorrow...mag lev trains that can take you to another state at high speeds.  It's not in the U.S. yet, but I think we're on that track~!

Back to Chicago now. Metra, the Chicago commuter train company, has several lines that meet up in downtown Chicago.  Each line is named according to the railroad company operating it.  From what I have seen, they all have these  bi-level cars.  There is another line too. The South Shore Line operates between the Chicago Loop and northwestern Indiana. As of a recent report they have 82 rail cars built between 1982 and 2009 by Nippon Sharyō. Sixty-eight cars are single level and 14 are gallery style bi-level cars like the ones I ride to work.

According to their website, Nippon Sharyō U.S.A. was created in 1982 with a contract to supply 44 single-level EMU cars to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), and has been a consistent and steady presence in North America ever since. The contracts (totaling over 880 individual cars) have been delivered on time and within budget. 

Car body shells are manufactured in Japan. Then the company teams up with a local North American company for final assembly. Nippon Sharyō assumes responsibility for overall project management and quality control. The company is now building a factory in Rochelle, IL.  Metra has signed on for more train cars. The first car, a Gallery-Type EMU for Metra, will roll out of this facility at the end of 2012. I hope our train line will among the first of the train lines to place this car in service.

Everyone should ride on a Japanese train to experience what civilized, modern age mass transit is like.  Go for it by boarding a Japan Railways (JR) train in Japan, or in one of the places where Nippon Sharyō has partnered with local transport authorities.  You'll be in for a pleasant surprise.