A bicycle ran through the office district lined with skyscrapers

Bicycle running through Marunouchi — Bicycles in Marunouchi

Marunouchi used to be thought of as an office district lined with large, low-rise buildings, but it has now transformed into an office district lined with skyscrapers. Looking down Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue, which runs the length of Marunouchi from Eitai-dori to Harumi-dori Avenue, I saw that both sides of the street were lined with buildings. This area is home to the Mitsubishi Group of companies, and is often referred to as "Mitsubishi Village".

This area was originally called Mitsubishi Village because it was developed by Yanosuke Iwasaki, the second president of Mitsubishi. After receiving a government land grant, he built the first office building, Mitsubishi Ichigokan, in 1894, followed by the construction of a red-brick district modeled after Lombard Street, the financial district in London.

As the name implies, Mitsubishi Village was lined with many buildings made of red bricks. The only remnant of the old buildings is the Mitsubishi Ichigokan, which was demolished in 1968 due to deterioration, but was restored as an art museum in 2009.

Although the architects of the buildings of the past differed from building to building, the red brick exterior brought a sense of unity to the town. In contrast, the buildings that line Marunouchi today are all different heights and uncoordinated in appearance. At best, they are unique; at worst, they seem to lack a sense of unity.

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