New multi-use park facility in the heart of Shibuya set to open in June 2020

https://ift.tt/2TVvhYq Eli Pang

A change of scenery in one of Tokyo’s busiest districts.

Save for Yoyogi Park, the former home of the 1964 Olympic village and the current site of Meiji Shrine, Shibuya has a lack of greenery amidst its towering skyscrapers and streets packed to the brim with shops as well as tourists. However, this is all due to change soon in one of Tokyo’s most bustling hubs thanks to the nearly complete construction of the multi-purpose complex “Miyashita Park.”

What was once a park where the city’s homeless converged, but were pushed out by Nike’s 2011 controversial redevelopment to include a skatepark and rock climbing wall, will now become a revamped modern complex, constructed through a partnership between Shibuya’s city government and the privately owned Mitsui Fudosan real estate company. Part-hotel, part-shopping center, and part-recreational facility, the new Miyashita Park aims to be a communal space incorporating a rooftop park as its centerpiece.

▼ The former Miyashita park in 2015 vs the revamped Miyashita Park

▼ Facilities introduced to the previous park will be included in the new Miyashita Park

The building complex is also earthquake-proof and able to serve as an emergency shelter in the unfortunate event of a disaster. Visitors can use the park as a medium for completing round trips around well-visited areas near Shibuya, such as Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, and Omote Sando.

Construction is slated to be completed by April 2020, and Miyashita Park’s grand opening is set for June 2020—just in time for the 2020 Olympics. While the new Miyashita Park may not generate the same hype as Shibuya’s tapioca-themed attraction, nor have the distinctive appeal of Mitsui Fudosan’s previous video-spoof of mechas made out of apartment buildings, the new park is an addition of greenery to Tokyo’s ever-changing, vibrant landscape.

Source, featured image: Mitsui Fudosan
Insert images: Mitsui Fudosan, Wikimedia Commons/@Nesnad
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