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Shimbashi
Shimbashi
Station is located in Minato
Ward of Tokyo directly south of
Tokyo Station. Shimbashi Station
is a very busy station as it is
a major interchange point of the
area. It serves the JR Keihin-Tohoku,
Tokaido Main, Yamanote, and Yokosuka
Lines; Tokyo Metro Ginza Line; Toei
Asakusa Line; and the Yurakamome
Line.
The station has three surface platforms,
which serve the Tokaido, Yamanote
and Keihin-Tohoku lines. An underground
platform serves the Yokosuka Line.
Also underground are two stations
with two platforms each that serve
the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and the
Toei Asakusa Line. The Yurakamome
terminus is on an elevated surface
next to the JR station.
The present day Shimbashi Station
was opened in 1909 as Karasumori
Station, and in 1914 was renamed
Shimbashi. The original Shimbashi
Station, which was opened in 1872,
was located to the east of the present
day Shimbashi Station. It was from
here that the first train in Japan
made its first run from Tokyo to
Yokohama in 1872. This was also
the original terminus of Japan's
first stretch of railway and one
of Japan’s oldest stations.
In 1914, the original Shimbashi
Station was demolished to make way
for the new Shimbashi on another
location, and a goods yard, Shiodome
Station, was made on this site.
To commemorate the historical significance
of the station, a 1945 steam locomotive
has been placed in the square in
front of Shimbashi Station.
Shimbashi
Shimbashi (also spelt Shinbashi),
located in Minato Ward of Tokyo,
is a bustling business district
just south of Ginza. It is home
to several business headquarters,
among them All Nippon Airways, Nippon
Television, Fujitsu, and Matsushita
Electric Works.
As with most stations of Tokyo,
Shimbashi Station, too, divides
the area into an east and a west
section. On the east side of the
station is one of the newest quarters
of the city, Shiodome with its tall,
shiny buildings and fancy restaurants.
On the west side is the middle-class
area with its narrow winding alleys
and the New Shimbashi Building as
the only prominent building.
The New Shimbashi Building
is situated across a narrow street
from the elevated tracks of Shimbashi
Station. Architecturally unremarkable,
the building has a 4-story high
base covered with a white concrete
lattice. This base is a shopping
area filled with all sorts of shops
selling everything from cheap suits
to second-hand videos. Other shops
include haircut and massage parlors,
business-card printers and banking
and loan offices. Above the base
is an oblong black steel tower that
contains offices and apartments.
In front of the building is a small
plaza that is always bustling with
office workers from nearby offices.
All around are a maze of narrow
streets and alleys which haven’t
changed in years. These alleys are
lined on both sides with small shops
that sell more or less the same
range of goods as found in the New
Shimbashi Building.
Hamarikyu Garden
Hamarikyu Garden is a beautiful
public park located about 10 minutes
walk from Shimbashi Station. It
is one of the two surviving feudal
era Japanese gardens in Tokyo today.
The site was originally the mansion
of a feudal lord, Tsunashige Matsudaira,
who built it in 1654. It was his
son Ienobu Matsudaira who built
the garden, and when Ienobu was
named to the 6th Tokugawa Shogun,
he turned the place into a villa
for the Shogun family. After the
Meiji Restoration, it became a palace
for the Imperial family. In 1945,
the site was handed over to the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government and
since then has been a public park.
Hamarikyu Garden, located on the
Sumida River, is completely surrounded
by Shioiri Pond, a sea water moat
filled by Tokyo Bay. Entry is only
through Nanmon Bridge, or by boat
from Asakusa. At the entrance there
is a 300 year old pine tree said
to have been planted by Ienobu himself.
The garden, covering an area of
250,165 square meters, is roughly
divided into two parts – the
south garden, or the original Edo
garden; and the north garden, which
was developed during the Meiji period.
Both the gardens are beautifully
landscaped with a variety of trees,
shrubs and flowers. Within the garden
there are different sections –
the peony field with over 60 varieties
of peony, the plum tree grove, and
duck hunting ponds surrounded by
densely forested areas, and so on
- each with a beauty and charm of
its own. In the middle of the main
pond there is a teahouse that serves
green tea with Japanese sweets.
Hamarikyu Garden still holds an
Edo charm, and its atmosphere of
peace and tranquility has made it
a popular place of recreation and
relaxation for the citizens of Tokyo.
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Featured
Hotels in the Shimbashi area that we represent |
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Shinbashi
Atagoyama Tokyu Inn (G-08, A-10)
Located
in downtown Tokyo, close to several
tourist attractions, the Shinbashi Atagoyama
Tokyu Inn is a 14-story high tourist
class hotel. It features 429 well-furnished
guestrooms, restaurants, and a fully-equipped
conference room among other things.
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Dai
Ichi Hotel Tokyo (G-08, A-10)
One
of Tokyo’s finest hotels, Dai
Ichi Hotel Tokyo is a 21-story old-world
Europe garden-themed hotel located just
four blocks north of Shimbashi Station.
Among its facilities are 227 guestrooms,
12 restaurants and bars, a fitness center
and a swimming pool.
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Dai
Ichi Hotel Annex (G-08, A-10)
This
12-story hotel is an annex to Dai Ichi
Hotel Tokyo, connected to it by underground
passageways. Dai Ichi Hotel Annex offers
high quality 180 guestrooms which are
a blend of a small size hotel and quality
hospitality services.
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Park
Hotel Tokyo (G-08, A-10)
Ideally
located in the business district of
Shiodome just 7 minutes on foot from
Shimbashi Station, Park Hotel Tokyo
offers world class rooms and restaurants.
The hotel is known for its superior
service in an atmosphere of warmth and
sophistication.
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Shimbashi
Area City Guide - Useful
information on area shopping,
restaurants, activities, things
to do and more! |
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