Hikarie, a new shopping and entertainment complex, has turned Tokyo’s Shibuya district into a fashion mecca.
The shopping complex takes up 12 floors of the 34 storey glass tower, housing ShinQs, a shopping mall with about 200 shops, Theater Orb, a musical theatre with 2000 seating capacity, 26 restaurants, art galleries and office space.
Hikarie, which means ‘light’, had cost its owner and operator Tokyu Corporation, ¥100 billion (US$1.25 billion). The location was formerly occupied by Tokyu Bunka Kaikan theatre complex and planetarium.
Hikarie will benefit from daily commuters as it connects its second floor to Shibuya Station and Aoyama Street through a walkway while its basement’s third floor is connected to Fukutoshin and Denentoshi lines.
This YouTube video has been created by a Japanese resident touring and critiquing the new centre.
More projects are to be expected from Tokyu Corporation, a private railway operator in Greater Tokyo which also owns eclectic department store Tokyu Hands and the MBK shopping centre in Bangkok. It plans to refurbish the Shibuya Station and renew Tokyu department store buildings incorporated into the station.
“A series of development projects that will change Shibuya drastically are set to launch. I hope many people representing a wide range of ages will be able to enjoy the district,” said Hirofumi Nomoto, president of Tokyu Corporation.
It is anticipated Hikarie will target a catchment of 14 million during the first year.
GB
