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2017.11.21

“Tokyo Review 008” Daikanyama area-3 “Daikanyama T-SITE”

“Tokyo Review 008” Daikanyama area-3

 “T-SITE”, a “lifestyle-proposing commercial facility” had launched in 2011 in Daikanyama, next to the Hillside Terrace. This is the first project of Tsutaya Bookstore’s new business style and is increasing the attractiveness of Daikanyama by providing books and other information media through comfortable spaces including cafés.

The project owner is “Culture-Convenience-Club Group (CCC)” which develops TSUTAYA, a CD and DVD rental chain. YPA and I had been involved in the project comprehensively from the beginning to the opening.

This site, used to be the space for the company-owned houses of Northwest Airlines and NTT Group. Now three buildings are arranged in parallel on the site with a total of approximately 13,000 square meters. The buildings 1 and 3 have three stories while the building 2 has two stories. The total floor area of the three buildings is about 5,900 square meters. “Tsutaya bookstore” sells upper-grade books, contents of video and music, and houses a Starbucks coffee shop. On the north side of the site, there is a rich greenery called “Daikanyama T-SITE Garden” surrounded by “Ivy Place Café”, “Kitamura Camera Shop” and “Motovelo electric assisted bicycle shop”.

Six years has passed since the launch, and the customer absorption of the T-SITE is still high. Now it has become famous not only among the people living or working in Daikanyama but also among the people in the Tokyo Megalopolis as a fashionable dating spot or meeting point with spaces where they can spend peaceful time.

Real estate development of this type cannot easily be realized by usual investors who seek profitability first. Only CCC, a company whose culture is so flexible and innovative, could implement such project not making full use of the possible floor area ratio. If you thoroughly seek investment efficiency in a development, the openness or comfortableness of the space shall be sacrificed, but CCC did not go that way and that spirit brought out excellent value to the facility, which reminds us the concept of the Hillside Terrace.

Based on the success of Daikanyama T-SITE, “Shonan T-SITE” at Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town had opened in 2014, followed by “Hirakata T-SITE”(Osaka) in 2016. “Tsutaya Kaden”, a new version of the T-SITE with more various items had also opened in Futako Tamagawa Rise in 2016, and has gathered people’s attention.

Daikanyama does not have many high-rise buildings like Shibuya, and the number of people and cars are lower. The richness of the space such as the small plazas contiguous with comfortable pathways and sidewalks are attracting people. We may say this spirit of Daikanyama comes from Doujunkai Daikanyama Apartment and the Hillside Terrace.

Now, when events or workshop for township encouragement has been promoted, old residents and new shop owners/residents will participate and actively encourage each other.

 

(This is the end of the series for “Daikanyama”)

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