The site of Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market, left empty after it was razed six years ago, will be replaced by a scenic waterfront stadium and glistening skyscrapers according to plans for its redevelopment that are facing some staunch opposition.
A computer graphic video of plans for the 900 billion yen project made by property developer Mitsui Fudosan shows air taxis zipping above the Sumida river, famed for its scenic bridges.
It’s the latest vision for what is to replace the old market famous for its tuna auctions and pre-dawn fresher-than-fresh sushi meals in shops nearby.
Mitsui Fudosan says the new development will rival top waterfront spots in places like Sydney and Singapore. The idea is to draw in plenty of people from both Japan and abroad. But some in Tokyo are opposed and would prefer to see the prime site turned into a garden.
The plans include office buildings, event spaces, greenery and residential areas, hotels and a biotechnology research center. Also, plenty of places to shop and eat out.
“We are entering a new chapter. Over the years of Japan's modernization, waterfronts were used for warehouses and factories,” said Jiro Ueda, an executive overseeing development planning at major real estate company Mitsui Fudosan, which heads the consortium that won the bid to redevelop the area. “We want to build facilities for sports and entertainment to move people emotionally. We want to make Japan more economically competitive.”
The consortium includes a powerful lineup including Toyota Motor, Toyota Fudosan, the Kajima, Taisei, Shimizu and Takenaka construction groups, engineering companies Nikken Sekkei and Pacific Consultants and media groups Asahi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun Group, whose baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants, may use the new arena as its home stadium.
For now, the area that used to be the sprawling main fish market is just a vacant 190,000 square-meter (47-acre) area of cement about the size of 35 football fields, with a few construction machines and a small area that has been dug up.
The city-owned land beside the Sumida River is within walking distance of the glitzy downtown Ginza and across a small bridge from Hamarikyu, a traditional Japanese garden with sculpted pine trees, a small forest and a tea house.
What’s left of the old Tsukiji market, a quaint “retro” area packed with sushi and ice cream stalls called the “jogai” or “outer area” of the market, will be kept like it is, right next to the modern development.
The fish market functions of Tsukiji were moved in 2018 to a more modern, bigger warehouse-like facility in another area of Tokyo Bay called Toyosu.
After the market’s buildings were demolished, the empty lot was used for parking during the Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by a year to 2021 because of the pandemic. The city called for bids in 2022 and in April chose the consortium headed by Mitsui, a participant in the Hudson Yards megadevelopment in Manhattan, New York. Initial construction is due to begin next year.
“Tsukiji is a special place for Tokyo. It’s so close to downtown, yet it’s surrounded by waterways and greenery,” said city hall official Takuo Takano. “It will become the face of Tokyo.”
The project building will connect ferries on the city’s rivers and Tokyo Bay with city subway lines and provide a showcase venue for international conventions, trade shows and summits as well as tourism.
The Tsukiji project “will be like a giant city in itself,” said Sachiko Okada, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. “That location pick is right on the dot,” she said.
Some groups in the city earlier opposed moving the century-old fish market, a city landmark, to Toyosu, and some still oppose the project, saying building skyscrapers will add to pollution in the area.
A garden would be a better alternative, says Shizuko Nagaya, who consults on ecological issues. She also worries about the safety of the densely populated complexes on the land, reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 17th century, if a major earthquake hits as expected.
“This is a piece of land that belongs to the people,” said Nagaya, who researches history and waterways. “We need a place with a blue sky, the sea breeze and lots of green, where our future children can play.”
Christian Dimmer, a professor of urban studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, believes the fish market should have stayed where it was, and developers should leverage the historical and cultural legacy of cities.
“Removing the fish market, relocating it far away to Toyosu, and replacing it with yet another luxury housing, hotel, shopping and entertainment complex makes central Tokyo less exciting and more mono-functional,” he said.
“The question must be asked whether the current redevelopment model is sustainable. Yet, despite this and other insights, the scrap-and-build development model of Tokyo is still largely unchallenged.”
City officials say final details of the development are still undecided. Plenty of time will be allowed for public feedback, they say.
Mitsui Fudosan is facing criticism over other projects, including redevelopment of the leafy Jingu Gaien area between Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine and the Imperial Palace. Opponents of the project, which involves renovating two sports arenas, especially object to the loss of famous rows of gingko trees in the area’s streets. The company says the trees and overall natural landscape will be preserved.
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34 Comments
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dagon
A symbol of working men and women, who braved the sea, traded in a real free market and earned livelihoods that sustained generations is being turned into another redeveloped site to attract 'global spenders'.
Rentier money, offshore investments which return little to the local economy and even pay little taxes on their transnational capital investments.
Progress for Japan?
sakurasuki
Fish market? Need to make sure there's nothing fishy.
3RENSHO
This development was planned from the beginning; it did not happen by accident. Look for those whom ultimately profited from the redevelopment...
Yubaru
And give up playing in Tokyo Dome? Wow this new "stadium" better be a dome or I will bet the Giants will never move!
This coming on the heels of reports that Japanese pro-baseball is loosing fans, loosing kids who want to play (no wonder considering the way they play and practice here) and loosing money.
Japanese pro ball is literally becoming a 4A clearing house for the best players to go and play in the best league in the world. MLB.
Seesaw7
It's high time!
TokyoLiving
Tokyo renewing itself again, one of the best cities to live in the world..
GO TOKYO !!..
stickman1760
Every NPB game I watch on TV is sold out so someone is making money. Japan has won the WBC a record three times and that has only increased the popularity of the game here.
JeffLee
It won't rival Singapore's landmark waterfront district. That area is filled with century-old carefully restored buildings, from the Boat Quay district of former warehouses to the grand colonial structures across the river with museums, art galleries and a concert hall, beyond which is a large expanse of greenery.
Destroying old buildings and replacing them with new ones with occasional turf-life grass with stunted trees is the modern Japanese approach. This project does not seem to be any different.
didou
Good idea, Tokyo does not have a waterfront with cafes and restaurants. Unless Daiba, maybe. But no need for adding skyscrapers and luxury shops. There is plenty enough. And it blocks the wind to glow in the city
Mr Kipling
Japan's future.... A playground for rich Asian tourists. Well, it could be worse.
kibousha
If your country's government is untrustworthy, afraid they're gonna take away the billions you extracted from society, Japan is for sale!
ebisen
I'm really happy tourists aren't allowed in the new fish market. Also, yeah, nothing wrong with turning a sticky old place into something modern. Instamamas who just lost a place to visit for a stupid instavideo, that's life! I'm happy you're frustrated!
Patricia Yarrow
I'm with Professor Dimmer. Sadly, there was no way to successfully fight off that line-up of financial megaliths.
I wonder if the adjacent Tsukiji retail market will be even further overrun with mobs escaping that enormous complex.
NCIS Reruns
"Tsukiji" literally means reclaimed land. The district doesn't have a long history because the areas as far as the palace moat in Hibiya were under Tokyo Bay. So it's difficult to dwell on the area's non-history. (Edo's original fish market was at Nihombashi and didn't move to Tsukiji until the 1930s.
That said, the district is very flat, less than one meter above sea level and almost certainly susceptible to floods caused by storm surges or tsunami. I very much hope that the planners and designers will environmental concerns into account.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
Will be interesting to see the new development and what they come up with.
Love a well designed waterfront.
kurisupisu
Been in Japan long enough to know that the ‘not-allowed’ culture is so inherent in Japanese society that ‘air taxis’ won’t be a thing.
Mickelicious
Hurrah! Cookie cutter developments with the ubiquitous, unchallenging retail tenants that landlords love!
Ligger2
The more green, the better.
Slayer
New buildings don't work with old outdated minds.
DanteKH
The fish market was moved, because some "smart investors" need to make some serious cash out of that area. Most likely it will be another playground just for the very rich Asians, attracted to Tokyo due to Yen collapse and cheap investments that follow it.
Yubaru
Every NPB game I watch on TV is sold out so someone is making money. Japan has won the WBC a record three times and that has only increased the popularity of the game here.
You are living in a glass house. Just because you see some stadiums full does not change the fact that baseball is and has been loosing popularity in Japan for over a decade now.
The number of people participating in baseball here has been on the decline since the turn of the century and there are serious discussions being had regarding a reduction of the number of teams as well.
Japanese teams are owned and operated by corporations and they are LOOSING money and can not afford to continue supporting the teams.
Just because Japan won the WBC is not a factor in the long term health of the sport. Teams here CAN NOT afford to pay the top players like MLB can, and so they create stupid rules regarding free agency to hold players hostage here! Even Otani wanted to skip playing Japanese ball, but got pushed into staying due to his popularity here.
Oh and what I said about declining popularity.... (FYI FACTS!)
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1331533/japan-number-baseball-players/
tokyo_m
“We need a place with a blue sky, the sea breeze and lots of green, where our future children can play.”
100% Tokyo doesn't need yet more concrete and glass, it needs trees and grass.
Yubaru
Oh and don't forget Major League Baseball has had to invest in Japanese little league baseball to help support the sagging popularity of the game.
Kids here dont want to throw 100 pitches day in and day out, and practice from dawn until dark.
Baseball will remain popular, and Koshien will remain the No 1 baseball tournament in Japan, but pro ball is declining at a pace that may get to the point that soccer will become more popular in Japan.
Not to mention that soccer is cheaper to play than baseball!
WA4TKG
I don’t see the fascination with this place, it must smell as bad as the market in Korea
lordoflys
In Okinawa, when large tracts of land become available from the US military giant corporations from the mainland have moved in, including large shopping malls. Small companies, local companies and the local Okinawa entrepreneur are always left out. Really, the same thing happens in the mainland. The zaibatsu continues to roll and the big corporations dominate society.....including the old Tsukiji property. No sign of any independent businesses. Just the big, rich guys.
suomitheway
It will be a multi-use stadium with a retractable roof capable of hosting all kinds of sports and concerts. I am glad they are including vertiports for flying vehicles. I do wish there would be a waterfront hospital accessible by water ambulances, though, which will be useful in the event of a natural disaster.
Wesley
I like the top photo...like something out of an 80s-90s anime.
Zaphod
More "skyscrapers, glitzy stadium to woo global spenders" is the last thing this city needs, imho.
Aoi Azuuri
also about this urban redevelopment, injustice collusion between metropolitan politics under Koike and corporations or slush fundraising has criticized.
Estate corporations including Mitsui "cooperate" political fundraising of present governor Koike, Tokyo places on orders to estate corporations, Besides Tokyo sold metropolitan lands 90% discount to Mitsui estate, and tens retired high officials landing jobs in estate corporations such as Mitsui with high salary.
Such corrupted politics should be known widely especially during present Tokyo governor election campaign until next sunday, But, Japan's major media avoid to report inconvenient facts for present governor Koike on the excuse of political fairness. Because, nationwide newspapers Asahi and Yomiuri including their TV channels are stakeholders who participating in this metropolitan redevelopment.
Seawolf
You already lost me at "air taxis zipping above the Sumida river, famed for its scenic bridges". First, as mentioned above, it will be a long time in the future until 'copters of any size would fly above heavy traffic roads. Second, I don't remember any scenic bridges on that smelly brack water only concrete walls!
Yubaru
You really should do yourself a favor and research a little more before making off the wall comments like these.
The overwhelming majority of land returned was privately owned. The owners SOLD their land to developers and corporations, who built the malls, FYI there are only 2, SanEi Main Place and AEON Rycom Mall, so you are also over exaggerating about the "malls"
Local contractors are "left out" as you say, not because of the reason you like to think it is, but due to the fact that Okinawan construction companies dont have the expertise nor technical capabilities to build these large projects as mainland companies do.
There is a whole hell of a lot more to it, but I doubt you are interested in learning, as your "conspiracy" theory would be shot down!
travelbangaijin
Will it scale up to the changes in the community?
Get it, scale?
Gene Hennigh
Things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Fish markets are, for me, exciting and fun. In Seattle there is one with a restaurant beside with. . .fresh fish. It's a fun trip. Japan has some very old fish markets. They are almost tourist attractions.
But sometimes old things go and new things come. Too bad for this market but it had to happen and, I guess, for the better. I fear for the streets in Japan with all the old shops that might disappear for the same modernization. But things change. Maybe it's all for the better.
BeerDeliveryGuy
Too bad the old logging wharf was lost as well. The log rollers had some mad skills.