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Tokyo Green Promenade
Tokyo used to be a city of water. Tokugawa Ieyasu established a network of waterways to transport goods and people to Edo (present-day Tokyo). After World War II, the government built highways on these rivers and canals to achieve the quickest recovery. Now, Tokyo is facing the third challenge to rebuild the city. The metropolis is planning to convert the highways into walkways and parks to make it a more people-friendly place.
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Hiroshige Utagawa, a famous ukiyo-e artist (woodblock printer) in the Edo period, depicted “100 scenic spots in Edo”, in which 80% of 118 prints depicted waterfront sceneries. On the Musashino Plateau, the Tamagawa Aqueduct was built to connect numerous rivers and canals that provide drinking and irrigation waters.
After disasters such as the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Tokyo Air Raid in 1945, the government built highways on these waterways to rebuild the city, which was the most efficient and quickest way to do so.
Until the 1920s, we could see waterways that were an integral part of our lives in Tokyo. Still, rivers and canals gradually disappeared because the mainstay of transportation had shifted from shipping to land transportation.
Tokyo’s reconstruction after WWII ignored waterways. Shoreline protection also separates people from the river. Many rivers were filled with rocks and rubble after the war, or became contaminated with sewage and were subsequently covered.
Two expressways, once symbols of urbanization and modernity, are now disappearing to give way to something more natural and serene-greenery parks. This transformation is a testament to Tokyo's commitment to creating a more sustainable and livable city.
The expressways surrounding Tokyo Ginza are likely to change. Tokyo Expressway (KK Line) and the Metropolitan Expressway Yaesu Line are coming to an end. A new tunnel and a new circular route of the Metropolitan Expressway will be built, and the Nihonbashi Bridge over the river is expected to be removed by the 2040s.
Tokyo Sky Corridor
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Expressway Company are collaborating on a project to revitalize the city as a more pedestrian-friendly, lush green space.
The corridor is a space in the city center. People walk, taking in the city view, which is conveniently located near a shopping mall and restaurants.
The former Tsukiji Fish Market Site
The Tsukiji Fish Market moved to Toyosu in 2018. The former site is likely to catalyze the revitalization of shipping and waterway transport. The redevelopment project is ongoing on the site along the Sumida River, serving as a new gateway to Tokyo, with hotels and congress facilities scheduled to open. The shipping port will be built here to connect the waterfront area.
Please refer to: Tokyo Waterways
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