Tokyo Station - Tokyo Intro: Experience #45 of 55

Entrance to Tokyo Station reserved for the Imperial Family.  The original station building is the west side of the station complex.

2014 was a big year for the iconic Tokyo Station, as it completed a five year renovation project to restore the original red brick station building for its 100th birthday.  The station has survived the great Kanto Quake, had a prime minister assassinated within, and had been repaired after World War II.  Tokyo station is now much larger than the original building.  It now has platforms for Shinkansen bullet trains, and both above and below ground metro lines.

Inside a dome at the station.

Granroof on the east side of the station.

Many mile zeros for the rail lines crisscrossing Japan start at this station and you might even see a zero marker on the track.  It is the busiest train station in Japan for rail traffic, with over 3000 trains a day passing through, but it is not as busy as Shinjuku Station as only a quarter of a million people pass through each day.  With all these people passing through the station, it is still a major shopping and dining hub and place to pick up souvenirs.  Some first class shopping exists at this station:

• Ekibenya (train bento festival shop) is in the middle of Tokyo Station in the paid fare area.   The shop has an interesting wall of showing models of the ekiben (train bento) available to buy.  It stocks an amazing assortment of ekiben, representing all sorts of regional specialties from around Japan for your long distance train rides.  You can also purchase beer and other beverages to go with your meal here.
• First Avenue is a long mall complex on the east side of the train station that is connected directly with the Yaesu exits of Tokyo Station in the basement, first and second floor.  Its one hundred shops compose Okashi (Sweets) Land, Character Street, and Ramen Street.  There are also Gift Plazas and Gourmet Plazas (for traditional food).  All train stations should be like this.  This place is nice place to visit if you are just going in and out of Tokyo or have very little time.
• While you are in the area, don't forget to visit the Daimaru Department Store which is connected to the train station via the Yaesu North Exit.  The 13 story dept. store has an extensive selection of cosmetics, fashions (including kimonos) and some big food floors!
• Character Street that first grabbed my attention as an Ultraman store was located here.  Tokyo Character Street has had millions of visitors since it opened in 2008.  People are coming to check out over 20 big-name character goods stores from well known anime and other media. It is pretty nice to have a concentration of shops like this!  Some of the shops are: Jump Store, Tomica Shop, Shop Plarail, NHK Character Shop, Snoopy Town Mini, mini Pokemon Center, Donguri Garden, Fuji TV Shop, Ultraman World M78, mini Gundam Cafe, and Hello Kitty Shop.
• Tokyo Ramen Street opened in April 2011 and features ramen shops operated by eight famous Tokyo ramen outfits.  Look for the signs and it is accessed directly via Yaesu Underground Exit of Tokyo Station.  The restaurants are open 11 am to 10:30 pm usually.  All of the ramen here is good, so unless you are here for a specific place, sometimes picking the shortest line is good.  Rokurinsha has a permanent lineup for its tsukemen.  NIPPON is very tasty, has lighter broths, and even a vegetarian option.
• Tokyo Okashi Land launched in April 2012.  You can enjoy the treats from the big three Japanese snack makers and more at Tokyo Okashi Land.  Calbee (chips), Morinaga (chocolate), Glico (Pocky) are some of the snack food manufacturers here with freshly made and limited edition treats.  Glico has freshly made chocolate almonds and more.  You can also get fresh fried potato chips from Calbee with chocolate or cheese sauce.  These shops are called antenna shops and are used by the companies to measure public reaction to new products).  Access via the Yaesu Central exit of Tokyo Station.
• Immediately south-east of Tokyo Station is the Kitte Building, which incorporates elements from the old Japan Post building.  This is an interesting multi-story mall with a big central atrium along with a rooftop garden that has views of Tokyo Station.  Also in this mall is an interesting little freeze-dried food shop from Amano Foods to get some Japanese favourites for later.

Around Maronouchi, the Kitte Building, and Tokyo Station
Shopping and Dining at Tokyo Station, Kitte Marunouchi Building, and GranRoof 
Okashi (Sweets) Land, Character Street and Ramen Street at First Avenue, Tokyo Station 
Tokyo's Ramen Streets at Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, and Aqua City
Ramen Street at Tokyo Station and Ichiran in Shibuya

 

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