SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONSPONSORED BY© TOHO CO., LTD.

Urban Redevelopment to Create New ValueHow Takenaka Corporation redevelopment projects
are bringing new vitality to Japan’s urban landscapeIn the early 1960s, as Japan prepared to host the 1964
Tokyo Olympic Games, the nation’s economy wasbooming and its people were buoyant with a sense ofexcitement and anticipation. The sounds of construction
could be heard everywhere, and in the space of a few
years Japan’s urban landscape was transformed.
Today, with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic
Games just four years away, Tokyo and Osaka are again
undergoing a remarkable transformation.
As one of Japan’s leading “super general contractors,”
Takenaka Corporation is drawing on its proud 400year history and proven expertise in architecturaldesign, engineering, and construction to play a keyrole in this urban transformation. Aiming to become“the best partner for society and our customers in2025,” Takenaka’s commitment to create a sustainable
society for the future is driving a new wave of urban
redevelopment and growth. But what form should thecities of the future take? And what new value should
they offer? To find the answers, we spoke with Seigo
Sato, Managing Officer and General Manager of Project
Development at Takenaka Corporation.

The 130-meter Shinjuku Toho Building symbolizes
the rebirth of Kabukicho. Visible from the east exitof Shinjuku Station even at night, with a life-sized
Godzilla head installed on the rooftop terrace, it is amuch talked-about landmark that attracts visitors fromboth home and abroad. Incorporating Tokyo’s biggest
cinema multiplex and a high-rise urban hotel, as well
as shops and restaurants, it has greatly improved thearea’s image and attracted a new range of customers
that includes young couples, families, and other visitors.

Left: Seigo Sato, Managing Officer and General Manager
左：執行役員 開発計画本部長 佐藤 清吾
of Project Development at Takenaka Corporation.
右上：「てんしば」で運営されるレストランやショップが、人を集Upper right: Abeno Harukas, Japan’s tallest building,め、流れを生む。
soars above the renovated Tennoji Park.
右下：日本一の高さを誇る「あべのハルカス」。近接する天王寺公
Lower right: Ten-Shiba shops and restaurants have
園の整備と併せ、街の景観は大きく変わった。
brought new customers into the Abeno-Tennoji district.

Shinjuku Ward has also supported the area’srevitalization by renovating Central Road, a busy
pedestrian thoroughfare that leads from Shinjuku Station
into the heart of the Kabukicho district. Cinema City
Square has also been closed to vehicular traffic, making
it more pedestrian-friendly and creating open spaces
for outdoor café seating and entertainment events. By
creating a safer and more secure environment in which

With a life-sized

A Driving Force in Urban Creation
In 1964, the year of the first Tokyo Olympic Games,
Takenaka Corporation established its Project
Development Department to undertake large-scaleurban development projects and create new constructionbusiness opportunities. At the time, there were plansto redevelop the Nakanoshima and Dojima districts ofOsaka, and development of the Osaka Business Parkadjoining Osaka Castle had already begun. It was tofulfill our role as a developer and landowner in theseareas that we joined with other companies to pursue
these and a host of other urban development and urban
renewal projects.
Takenaka has also led the way in urban redevelopment
efforts in Tokyo, constructing Yurakucho Mullion, ashopping and entertainment complex on the site of
the former Asahi Shimbun head office and Nichigeki
Theatre, as well as the Hibiya Chanter shopping andentertainment complex in Tokyo’s Hibiya district, andmany other projects.
Today, urban development focuses on the creationof buildings and facilities that can contribute to asustainable society. That is why we always try to take acomprehensive approach that includes everything fromplanning and design, to construction and ongoing area
management after the project is completed.

It is also important for urban creation to meet thechanging needs of society, identifying needs andchallenges so that we can offer new value to communities
and to society.

Changing Urban Areas —Abeno Harukas and Ten-ShibaAlong with Umeda and Namba, Abeno-Tennoji is oneof Osaka’s largest transportation hubs, offering readyaccess to Kansai International Airport and nearby cities.
Previous Takenaka development and construction
projects in the area included Abeno Hoop and Abeno
Cues Mall, among many others, all of which havecontributed significantly to Osaka area redevelopment.
Abeno Harukas was an even more ambitious project,designed to serve as an iconic symbol of the KintetsuGroup, a major Japanese conglomerate whosebusinesses include railways, real estate, distribution
and logistics, and hotels and leisure facilities.
Opened in 2014, the Abeno Harukas is Japan’s tallest
building, soaring 300 meters above the railway station
at its base. Incorporating a department store, museum,
hotel, offices, an observation deck, as well as a university
and medical facilities, it is a city-within-a-city that serves
as Osaka’s southern gateway. To provide smootheraccess to Japan Rail, Kintetsu Railways, subways andother transportation, the complex was also linked to theGodzilla™

surrounding area by a web of pedestrian walkways andbridges that have helped to revitalize the entire AbenoTenno district.
We also undertook a park management project, TenShiba, aimed at renewing the entrance to nearby
Tennnoji Park, which had suffered from underutilizationdue, in part, to the admission fee that was charged.
Working with the Kintetsu Group, which had won a
public bid to redevelop and manage the entrance
area, we created attractive shops and restaurants
surrounding a vast open lawn, and support theirongoing management with planning for special eventsand promotions. The project has helped to revitalize theentire area, increasing foot traffic and attracting tourists
as well as family groups from near and far. To those who
remember the old Abeno-Tennoji district, the turnaroundhas been a source of surprise and delight.

Improving Urban Areas —The Shinjuku Toho Building
The Shinjuku Kabukicho district is one of Tokyo’s bestknown entertainment areas, but it had experienced adecline in business following the closure of the theaters
and cinemas that had previously anchored the area.
Members of the local business community and TohoCo., Ltd., owners of the former landmark Shinjuku
Koma Theater, were therefore looking for a solution torejuvenate the district, especially around Cinema City
Square. The Shinjuku Toho Building, opened in April
2014 to replace the former landmark, was our solution.

Osaka
Business Park, one of Takenaka Corporation’s
first
竹中工務店が都市開発に携わるきっかけとなった「大阪ビジネurban
redevelopmentprojects.
スパーク」。

head on its
ゴジラ™がシンボル

rooftopterrace, 。の「新宿東宝ビル」
theShinjuku
新たなラン
ドマーク

Toho Buildingの出現は、
エンター

symbolizes
テインメン
トシティ

the rebirth ofー歌舞伎町再生のtheKabukicho
先駆け。
entertainmentdistrict.
© TOHO CO., LTD.

people can enjoy themselves, the project has inspired
the construction of other new hotels and commercial
establishments in the area that have also expanded its
potential future growth.

Growing Urban Areas —Osaka Station Environs andGrand Front Osaka
Takenaka Corporation’s involvement with Osaka’s
Umeda district dates back to the late 1920’s when weconstructed the Hankyu Department Store. The focusof commercial activity in the area had for many years
been around the south entrance to Osaka Station, theHankyu Department Store on the east side, Hankyu
Sanbangai underground shopping mall, and theHanshin Department Store on the south side. In the1980s, however, redevelopment of the area in front ofOsaka Station and in West Umeda shifted the focus to
the west side. Since that time, we have been extensively
involved in developing an approximately one kilometer
stretch of the east-west corridor, designing and building
the Hilton Osaka Hotel, the Hilton Plaza East and Hilton
Plaza West, as well as the Herbis Plaza and Herbis
Plaza Ent, and we have provided ongoing support forthe properties’ infrastructure and maintenance. In thearea in front of the station where it all began, we are also
currently redeveloping both the Dai Hanshin Building
and New Hankyu Building.
Grand Front Osaka is a project to redevelop the formersite of the Umeda freight terminal on the north side ofOsaka Station. As one of 12 developers commissioned
to undertake the necessary work, we planned anddeveloped Knowledge Capital, a business incubation
center with multi-purpose facilities that include

The 130-meter Shinjuku Toho Building symbolizes
the rebirth of Kabukicho. Visible from the east exitof Shinjuku Station even at night, with a life-sized
Godzilla head installed on the rooftop terrace, it is amuch talked-about landmark that attracts visitors fromboth home and abroad. Incorporating Tokyo’s biggest
cinema multiplex and a high-rise urban hotel, as well
as shops and restaurants, it has greatly improved thearea’s image and attracted a new range of customers
that includes young couples, families, and other visitors.

Left: Seigo Sato, Managing Officer and General Manager
左：執行役員 開発計画本部長 佐藤 清吾
of Project Development at Takenaka Corporation.
右上：「てんしば」で運営されるレストランやショップが、人を集Upper right: Abeno Harukas, Japan’s tallest building,
め、流れを生む。
soars above the renovated Tennoji Park.
右下：日本一の高さを誇る「あべのハルカス」。近接する天王寺公
Lower right: Ten-Shiba shops and restaurants have
園の整備と併せ、街の景観は大きく変わった。
brought new customers into the Abeno-Tennoji district.

Shinjuku Ward has also supported the area’s
revitalization by renovating Central Road, a busy
pedestrian thoroughfare that leads from Shinjuku Station
into the heart of the Kabukicho district. Cinema City
Square has also been closed to vehicular traffic, making
it more pedestrian-friendly and creating open spaces
for outdoor café seating and entertainment events. By
creating a safer and more secure environment in which

With a life-sized

A Driving Force in Urban Creation
In 1964, the year of the first Tokyo Olympic Games,Takenaka Corporation established its Project
Development Department to undertake large-scaleurban development projects and create new construction
business opportunities. At the time, there were plansto redevelop the Nakanoshima and Dojima districts ofOsaka, and development of the Osaka Business Parkadjoining Osaka Castle had already begun. It was tofulfill our role as a developer and landowner in theseareas that we joined with other companies to pursue
these and a host of other urban development and urban
renewal projects.
Takenaka has also led the way in urban redevelopment
efforts in Tokyo, constructing Yurakucho Mullion, ashopping and entertainment complex on the site of
the former Asahi Shimbun head office and Nichigeki
Theatre, as well as the Hibiya Chanter shopping andentertainment complex in Tokyo’s Hibiya district, andmany other projects.
Today, urban development focuses on the creationof buildings and facilities that can contribute to asustainable society. That is why we always try to take acomprehensive approach that includes everything fromplanning and design, to construction and ongoing area
management after the project is completed.

It is also important for urban creation to meet thechanging needs of society, identifying needs andchallenges so that we can offer new value to communities
and to society.

Changing Urban Areas —Abeno Harukas and Ten-ShibaAlong with Umeda and Namba, Abeno-Tennoji is oneof Osaka’s largest transportation hubs, offering readyaccess to Kansai International Airport and nearby cities.
Previous Takenaka development and construction
projects in the area included Abeno Hoop and Abeno
Cues Mall, among many others, all of which havecontributed significantly to Osaka area redevelopment.
Abeno Harukas was an even more ambitious project,designed to serve as an iconic symbol of the KintetsuGroup, a major Japanese conglomerate whosebusinesses include railways, real estate, distribution
and logistics, and hotels and leisure facilities.
Opened in 2014, the Abeno Harukas is Japan’s tallest
building, soaring 300 meters above the railway station
at its base. Incorporating a department store, museum,hotel, offices, an observation deck, as well as a university
and medical facilities, it is a city-within-a-city that serves
as Osaka’s southern gateway. To provide smootheraccess to Japan Rail, Kintetsu Railways, subways andother transportation, the complex was also linked to theGodzilla™

surrounding area by a web of pedestrian walkways andbridges that have helped to revitalize the entire AbenoTenno district.
We also undertook a park management project, TenShiba, aimed at renewing the entrance to nearby
Tennnoji Park, which had suffered from underutilizationdue, in part, to the admission fee that was charged.
Working with the Kintetsu Group, which had won a
public bid to redevelop and manage the entrance
area, we created attractive shops and restaurants
surrounding a vast open lawn, and support their
ongoing management with planning for special eventsand promotions. The project has helped to revitalize theentire area, increasing foot traffic and attracting tourists
as well as family groups from near and far. To those who
remember the old Abeno-Tennoji district, the turnaroundhas been a source of surprise and delight.

Improving Urban Areas —The Shinjuku Toho BuildingThe Shinjuku Kabukicho district is one of Tokyo’s bestknown entertainment areas, but it had experienced adecline in business following the closure of the theatersand cinemas that had previously anchored the area.
Members of the local business community and Toho
Co., Ltd., owners of the former landmark Shinjuku
Koma Theater, were therefore looking for a solution torejuvenate the district, especially around Cinema CitySquare. The Shinjuku Toho Building, opened in April
2014 to replace the former landmark, was our solution.

OsakaBusiness Park, one of Takenaka Corporation’sfirst
竹中工務店が都市開発に携わるきっかけとなった「大阪ビジネurban
redevelopment
projects.
スパーク」。

head on its
ゴジラ™がシンボル

rooftopterrace, 。の「新宿東宝ビル」
theShinjuku
新たなランドマーク

Toho Buildingの出現は、
エンター

symbolizes
テインメン
トシティ

the rebirth ofー歌舞伎町再生のtheKabukicho
先駆け。
entertainment
district.
© TOHO CO., LTD.

people can enjoy themselves, the project has inspired
the construction of other new hotels and commercial
establishments in the area that have also expanded its
potential future growth.

Growing Urban Areas —Osaka Station Environs andGrand Front Osaka
Takenaka Corporation’s involvement with Osaka’s
Umeda district dates back to the late 1920’s when weconstructed the Hankyu Department Store. The focusof commercial activity in the area had for many years
been around the south entrance to Osaka Station, theHankyu Department Store on the east side, Hankyu
Sanbangai underground shopping mall, and theHanshin Department Store on the south side. In the1980s, however, redevelopment of the area in front ofOsaka Station and in West Umeda shifted the focus tothe west side. Since that time, we have been extensivelyinvolved in developing an approximately one kilometer
stretch of the east-west corridor, designing and building
the Hilton Osaka Hotel, the Hilton Plaza East and Hilton
Plaza West, as well as the Herbis Plaza and Herbis
Plaza Ent, and we have provided ongoing support forthe properties’ infrastructure and maintenance. In thearea in front of the station where it all began, we are also
currently redeveloping both the Dai Hanshin Building
and New Hankyu Building.
Grand Front Osaka is a project to redevelop the formersite of the Umeda freight terminal on the north side ofOsaka Station. As one of 12 developers commissioned
to undertake the necessary work, we planned anddeveloped Knowledge Capital, a business incubation
center with multi-purpose facilities that includehouses a hotel on its upper floors, and a multi-purpose
commercial facility on its lower floors.

Developmentof West Umeda in front of Osaka Station and Grand
大阪駅前・西梅田地区の開発とグランフロント大阪の出現により、梅田地区
Front
Osaka to thenorth has revitalized the entire Umeda district.
全域に「にぎわい」が広がる。

The multi-purpose commercial facility, called Marugoto
Nippon (Japan in Microcosm), offers floors of exhibitionbooths for regional governments and communities toshowcase local products and foodstuffs. The aim of
the facility is not only to market these products, butalso to promote awareness of the unique culture andattractions that each region offers. With interest insuch regional areas growing among both domestic
and foreign travelers, Marugoto Nippon has received
much media attention, and many local communities

networking spaces, a theater, a convention center,
conference rooms and offices. Conceived to suitthe needs of Osaka while bringing new value andfunctionality to the Umeda district, the center provides
corporations, researchers, creators, and the generalpublic with a stimulating environment in which they canfreely interact and innovate. Through this and otherurban development projects in the area, we have beenable to contribute to growth throughout the Umeda
district.
Takenaka is also an active member of Grand Front
Osaka TMO, an area management organization thatuses revenue generated by open cafés and otherbusinesses operated on public property to help fundurban revitalization. In collaboration with Hankyu
Corporation, Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. andthe West Japan Railway Company, Grand Front
Osaka TMO established Umeda Connect to integrate
diverse public and private initiatives across Umeda
in a concerted effort to help support the area’scontinuous growth.

Linking Urban Areas —The Tokyo RakutenchiAsakusa Building
The Tokyo Rakutenchi Asakusa Building is located in
the center of Asakusa Rokku, formerly one of Tokyo’s
most colorful entertainment districts. Commissioned by
the Tokyo Rakutenchi Group, the project aimed not onlyto revitalize the Asakusa area, but also to support otherformerly vibrant commercial districts across Japan thatare experiencing a decline in population and a shortageof successors to carry on traditional businesses.
Understanding this mission, we were involved in theproject from the very beginning, planning and designinga commercial complex and new area landmark that

Bringing new life to the Asakusa Rokku
浅草楽天地ビルは、浅草六区の「にぎわい」
district, the Tokyo Rakutenchi Asakusa
を演出するだけではなく、地方都市との架けBuilding also promotes growth in cities
橋として機能する。
across Japan.

and regional organizations have expressed strong
interest in obtaining space in the facility.
In recent years, both government and private sector
entities have been working to replace older structuresin the area, and with the 2015 opening of the TokyoRakutenchi Asakusa Building as a new area landmark,Asakusa is thriving with a new sense of vitality.

Creating Cities of the Future
The examples described here are just some ofTakenaka Corporation’s success stories. We recognizethat the needs of cities differ by country and region,and that they change and advance with the times.
But we are ready to face any challenge, and remaincommitted to the goals of sustainable urban creation.
Drawing on the Takenaka Group’s collective strengths,
we will continue to innovate in architecture and urban
development, creating cities of the future in whichpeople can live safely, securely, and happily.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONOSAKA 1-13, 4-chome, Hommachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0053, Japan Tel: +81-6-6252-1201
TOKYO 1-1, 1-chome, Shinsuna, Koto-ku, Tokyo 136-0075, Japan Tel: +81-3-6810-5000

www.takenaka.co.jp