Feature

Making Best Use of Spaces in Railway Facilities
Use and Area Management of Railway Under-Viaduct Spaces and Underground Spaces near Stations
Deployments in JR East Under-Viaduct Spaces and Ekinaka Commercial Spaces

Nankai Electric Railway Services Targeting Inbound Visitors

69

Overview of Tobu Railway Service Efforts for Inbound Visitors

Mar. 2017

Development in Tokyo Metro Stations

Railway and Inbound Tourism

www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/

Quantitative and Qualitative Development of In-Station Commercial BusinessJAPAN RAILWAY &TRANSPORT REVIEWMarch 2017 No. 69
Published by East Japan Railway Culture
Foundation (EJRCF)
2-2, Yoyogi 2-chome, Shibuya-ku,Tokyo 151-0053, JapanTel(81 3) 5334 0623
Fax(81 3) 5334 0624
Chairman: Satoshi Seino

Chief Editor:
Kazuyuki Kogure

Editorial Board:
Yoshihiro Akiyama, Director, Japan International
Consultants for Transportation Co., Ltd.
Mami Aoki, Professor, Doshisha University
Akinobu Okui, General Manager, Planning
Division, Railway Technical ResearchInstitute
Makoto Ito, Chief Researcher, Research andConsulting Department, Japan Transport
Research InstituteAtsuko Ito, General Manager, Management
Administration Department, JR East

Consulting Editor:

Business at JR companies in areas other than railway operations started to surge after theprivatization of Japanese National Railways in 1987, following the lead of major private railways
who had a head start. The greatest asset supporting such business is railway property, andthat is used to the greatest extent possible. Stations are undergoing a transformation fromplaces where people ride trains to places where people gather. The goal is to make what wereonce places where people went solely for using trains be places they go to even when notriding trains. And that attempt is seeing some degree of success. Railway companies stimulate
each other and together roll out diverse business. Stations and their surrounding facilities arebeing redeveloped into something quite different than their previous forms. While this may
appear to be nothing but good, taking a close look reveals hidden problems. On the surface,
we see beautifully laid out ekinaka in-station commercial spaces with new shops ringing withthe voices of shopkeepers calling to customers. But taking a couple steps back and looking
closely at this common sight reveals that almost all the stations have similar shops. When a
new ekinaka facility opens, most of the shops are the same as in others.
This means two things: First of all, newer, more diverse product line-ups are needed. And
this applies to services as well. The composition of shops in stations has been based on apreconception of what sort of people come to stations. While that is based to a certain extent
on analysis, a way of thinking that better incorporates the needs of the market is needed.
The preconceptions that people coming to stations do not purchase products with a highunit cost and that items other than daily goods do not sell actually end up making stations
uninteresting places. Secondly, stations need to be made to be places people want to go
to and gather at even without spending money. Jazz—live, of course—playing in the station
space could make people stop and enjoy listening for a while. Street performances too could
be provided at stations. If stations can be made to be places that can be enjoyed even without
spending money, this could result in a synergetic effect for various ekinaka businesses as well.
Quantitative high-level use of railway property is expanding, but qualitative change where thecontent of business evolves as well is still something for the future.
This marks the 69th issue of JRTR, which was first published in March 1994. Since that time,
there have been major changes in the conditions under which we have published, such as
the publishing environment, target audience, and the increasingly predominant Internet. We
have therefore decided to suspend publication for the time being so we can take a better lookat the direction JRTR should go in the future. We wish to express our thanks to all who havesupported the publication of JRTR: our readership that has followed our publication over theyears, writers who have submitted articles, and others.

Tatsuhiko Suga
Kunio Aoki

K. Kogure

Editorial Staff:
Robert Hancock
Koji Tomita
Takashi Ichioka
Mizuki Abe※This and previous issues of JRTR will continue to beavailable for viewing on the East Japan Railway Culture
Foundation website: http://www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/index.html

Editorial Design:
Keiichi Aimono

Translation & Production:
ALAYA INC.
© All rights reserved. Reproduction of the contents
in part or whole of this magazine in any manner isprohibited without the prior written consent of EJRCF.
JRTR is printed in Japan.

CONTENTSFeature: Making Best Use of Spaces in Railway Facilities
Use and Area Management of Railway Under-Viaduct Spaces and Underground Spaces near Stations ......... 6Deployments in JR East Under-Viaduct Spaces and Ekinaka Commercial Spaces ....................................... 16
Development in Tokyo Metro Stations ......................................................................................................... 28

Special Feature: Railway and Inbound TourismNankai Electric Railway Services Targeting Inbound Visitors ....................................................................... 38
Overview of Tobu Railway Service Efforts for Inbound Visitors .................................................................... 46
Clockwise from left: JR East 2k540 AKI-OKA
ARTISAN facility (JR East), Commercial facility
under Chuo Line viaduct (Takayuki Kishii),‘nonomichi’ promenade (JR East), Marché deMetro in Echika Omotesando (Tokyo Metro),
Exterior of mAAch ecute (JR East), and ecuteOmiya (JR East)

Topics .................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Photostory
Commuting Trains with Premium Reserved-only Seating ....................................................................... 2, 65
5Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 69 • Mar 2017