The fountain in Hibiya Park (©JNTO)
The Marunouchi area alongside the moat (©JNTO)
| Past the Ministry of Justice, the expanse of Hibiya Park unfolds
before you. This park, established in 1903, is a German-style garden. Many people
who work in the surrounding office buildings come here
to relax. Beyond the park and across the Hibiya intersection along the moat is
the Dai-ichi Seimei Kan (also called DN Tower). If walls could speak, this building,
used by the General Headquarters of the Allied Occupation Forces after World War
II, would have many dramas to recount. The office used by
Supreme Commander of Allied Powers General Douglas MacArthur has been preserved in its original state.
Just past the Dai-ichi Seimei Kan and straight ahead of the Imperial Palace lies Tokyo Station. The brick edifice, patterned after Amsterdam Central Station, is a Renaissance-style structure built in the late Meiji period. During this era, when Japan was assimilating Western values at a frantic pitch, Tokyo Station and the surrounding Marunouchi district were known as "Itcho London" ("London Block One"). The name was derived from a block of Western-style brick buildings constructed by a group of influential companies seeking to re-create the atmosphere of the British capital in Tokyo. This block of brick buildings came to symbolize the rapid Westernization of Japan. In recent years the old structures have been successively replaced with modern "intelligent buildings" equipped with the latest features, and Marunouchi remains a business and financial hub. To stroll through the Imperial Palace grounds and along the moat is to trace the boundary between old Edo and modern Tokyo. We hope you have enjoyed your tour. |
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