Tokyo Station is one of two major train stations in the Japanese capital and the center for the Shikansen high speed (aka bullet) rail lines. Commissioned in 1889, and completed in 1914, Tokyo Station is the busiest station in Japan in terms of total volume of trains (over 3000 trains departing daily). Tatsuno Kingo designed the station to represent a restrained celebration of Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War. The station was almost completely rebuilt after WWII, and has undergone significant face lifts and renovations in recent years to accommodate the emerging network of intercity railway lines. I thought it had striking similarities to the Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, but rumor has it that it was actually modeled after Amsterdam Centraal.
The inside of the station is not only home to a decorative dome roof, but also a large underground tunnel network full of designer stores, gourmet restaurants, and my favorite: pastry shops. I got lost quite easily in the catacombs of this place and finding the right exit to get to where you are going above ground is not an easy task 🙂
Here are just a few pictures from this Tokyo landmark:
On a rainy day it is the ideal place to spend time people watching, and bring out that inner foodie….
