“Tokyo Review 022” Nihombashi area-6
COREDO Muromachi 1,2,3 and “Fukutoku Shrine”
In February 2014, two buildings with commercial facilities in the podium, Muromachi Furukawa Mitsui Building (COREDO Muromachi 2) and Muromachi Chibagin Mitsui Building (COREDO Muromachi 3) opened on the opposite sides of the Nihombashi Mitsui Tower. Together with Muromachi Higashi Mitsui Building (COREDO Muromachi 1) which had already opened in October 2010, the trilogy was completed. The word COREDO is a coined word of CORE + EDO. Muromachi Higashi Mitsui Building wa rebuilt from the Mitsui Fudosan’s former Mitsui Third Annex, Muromachi Furukawa Mitsui Building and Muromachi Chibagin Mitsui Building are buildings jointly constructed by several landowners. Although the owners are different, it is noteworthy that these three buildings “share” similar characteristsics in various ways.
First of all, COREDO Muromachi 1 and COREDO Muromachi 2 are adjacent to each other across Naka Dori, but the major footpath for customers through the store are arranged so it is continuous across Naka Dori. In addition, on the second floor, there is a passage connecting the two buildings. On the basement first floor, there is a plaza connecting the three buildings from the concourse of Nihombashi station on the subway Ginza Line. To enter the parking lot of the basement 2nd floor of each building, there is an entrance only in COREDO Muromachi 2, and you can access COREDO Muromachi 1, and COREDO Muromachi 3 from there via the underground passage. This alleviates the load on the surface road and saves the space of the slope descending to the basement. Furthermore, the three buildings are planned to share the energy center as well.
These projects conclude the first stage of the “Nihombashi Revitalization Plan” being promoted by Mitsui Fudosan. These are parts of the “Nihombashi Muromachi East District Development Plan” as stipulated in urban planning of Urban Revitalization Special District. In October 2014, Fukutoku Shrine was rebuilt in the back of these buildings. It is a historical Inari Shrine which had already settled in this area during the Teikan Period (859 – 876) in the Heian Era. It is a famous historical Shrine where Ieyasu Tokugawa used to visit, but during the progress of urbanization after the war, the nave was forced to relocate to the roof of the building, or in the pub from time to time.
The “Fukutoku Forest” situated in the back of the Fukutoku Shrine is actually provided by a project based on the system called “Nihombashi Honcho 2-chome specific block development project”, apart from the “Urban regeneration special district” applied to the COREDO Muromachi series. The Takeda Global Headquarter building was also completed in March 2018 by similar projects.
This series of project was rewarded, the highest award, the “Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MILT) Award” in the Land Utilization Model Awards 2008, sponsored by the General Foundation Corporation Mirai Promotion Organization and supported by MLIT.
Due to these projects including the Shrine and the Forest, certainly, in this area, the use of “margin” was born, which is different from the town where only buildings are lined up. I feel that the concept “Proceeding to Create While Retaining and Reviving” in “Nihombashi Revitalization Plan” by Mitsui Fudosan is embodying. “Naka Dori” decorated with lanterns is regarded as an approach to Fukutoku Shrine, and on both sides of the street are small shops reminiscent of the style of the Edo period. It seems that the number of people visiting is steadily increasing, as many events have been held to invigorate the city, such as inviting maiko from Kyoto and so on.
