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[Tokyo] Feel the history of railways! Check out the highlights at Tokyo Station!

Kosuke Kuroda
2017.05.10
Last updated: 2022.02.21

table of contents

1 Take a close look at the restored Tokyo station building
2 A comprehensive summary of the highlights inside Tokyo Station!
3 If you want to buy souvenirs, choose something related to Tokyo Station.

Tokyo Station is a key transportation hub for the capital, Tokyo, and is known to many. Usually, I tend to leave quickly because I'm worried about the time it takes to transfer trains, etc., but Tokyo Station is actually full of things to see. This time, we will introduce the highlights of Tokyo Station where you can learn about history!

Take a close look at the restored Tokyo station building

Tokyo Station, which was called the central station during the Meiji period, was affected by the disaster caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake, and due to the deterioration of its buildings, it was forced to be rebuilt.
Four years after it was designated as a national important cultural property in 2003, preservation and restoration work began on the Marunouchi station building, which was completed in 2012. The key to this construction work was to utilize the specifications from when Tokyo Station was first built as much as possible. Every effort has been made to bring it closer to its original appearance. The dome, which was destroyed in a fire, has been restored to its original appearance, and the eagle carving and reliefs of the zodiac signs inside have also been recreated.

A comprehensive summary of the highlights inside Tokyo Station!

Although most people tend to focus on the Tokyo Station building due to extensive restoration work, there are many other things to see at Tokyo Station.
The first thing I would like to introduce is "0km Post".
The starting point for the Shinkansen and various conventional lines is Tokyo Station, and there are signs on the platforms indicating this. Each 0km post has a different design, so it's sure to be fun to look for them! The next thing to check is the pillars installed on platforms 5 and 6.
This pillar has been in existence since 1913, when Tokyo Station opened. Please check it out before it is removed due to construction work. Additionally, as Tokyo Station was a hub connecting the capital and the countryside, it was often used by political figures. Inside the station, Prime Minister Hara was attacked by thugs in 1921, and Prime Minister Hamaguchi was attacked in 1930 by thugs, and a plaque has been erected describing the incident.

If you want to buy souvenirs, choose something related to Tokyo Station.

If you're going to buy souvenirs at Tokyo Station, you'll want to buy things related to Tokyo Station! For such people, we recommend "Tokyo Ekisha Monaka." The cake is shaped like the Tokyo Station building and is filled with rich butter cream and flavorful red bean paste, making it extremely filling. You can purchase it on the 1st floor of Gransta Dining. It lasts for a long time, so it's perfect as a souvenir.

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This time, we introduced spots where you can learn about the history of Tokyo Station and the station building. If you take a closer look at stations that you usually only use for transportation, you're sure to discover something new!