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Saturday, August 19, 2017, 15:29
Tokyo real estate firms use creative promotion
By The Japan News/ANN
Saturday, August 19, 2017, 15:29 By The Japan News/ANN

A woman describes the qualities of sake from Niigata Prefecture at an event on Shin-Tora Dori avenue in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on July 4. (THE JAPAN NEWS / ANN)

TOKYO - Real estate companies are increasing efforts to attract people to their newly built facilities in the heart of Tokyo, as part of large-scale redevelopment projects in the capital.

Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho, a mixed-use complex in Chiyoda Ward, is one such development. The facility houses, one of Japan’s largest coworking spaces — in which professionals, who often work independently, share office space. It marked its first anniversary on Thursday. 

Garden Terrace was redeveloped by Seibu Holdings Inc. on the former site of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka. Last November, Internet portal Yahoo Japan Corp. opened a coworking space in the complex called Lodge, which individuals outside of the firm can use without charge. 

At the approximately 1,330-square-meter space — which offers great views of central Tokyo — Wi-Fi and power outlets are available free of charge. A restaurant and kitchen were also opened next to the coworking space in an effort to encourage communication among workers during breaks.

About 200 to 300 people use the space per day, according to Yahoo. “[The company] needs innovation for our future growth. We made the coworking space so our employees will be able to interact with people outside of our company,” said Lodge Service Manager Yuji Ueda.

Seibu Properties Inc. is promoting Garden Terrace through a total of 21 events in the period from July 21 to 31, including concerts and other performances by alumni of Tokyo University of the Arts, a prestigious institution celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. 

During the period, the complex has been decorated with approximately 1,000 pinwheels and 1,300 sets of wind chimes. There is also a Hanabi Bar, where people can light senko hanabi sparklers while they drink. “We are trying to create new values that best represent life in the center of the nation,” said Satoshi Sekine, senior manager of Seibu Properties. 

Similar redevelopment projects are also under way in other parts of central Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games. Major developer Mori Building Co. is concentrating efforts on the Toranomon district in Minato Ward. In 2020, a new station on Tokyo Metro’s Hibiya subway line is scheduled to open there, as well as a bus terminal that will connect the district to the Tokyo Bay area. 

The developer is focusing its operations in the area surrounding “Shin-Tora Dori” (Shimbashi-Toranomon Avenue) near the Toranomon Hills high-rise complex. “We want to show the world how appealing Japanese communities are, by presenting Shin-Tora Dori as a showcase of Japanese culture,” a general manager of Mori Building said.

On July 5, a total of five city governments in Niigata Prefecture jointly started to hold a three-month project along Shin-Tora Dori to promote their local specialties and cuisine. Sanjo and Tsubame cities —  one of the nation’s largest metal-working regions — plan to sell their wares, and hold workshops on weekends so visitors can get hands-on with their products.

“We hope visitors will recognize the charms of regional Japan,” Sanjo Mayor Isato Kunisada said. 


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