Originally, the Ginza Line was proposed to open from Shimbashi to Asakusa all at once, but because of a recession following the Great Kanto Earthquake, it became difficult to raise funds for the line. The portion between and was completed on December 30, 1927, and publicized as "the first underground railway in the Orient". Upon its opening, the line was so popular that passengers often had to wait more than two hours to ride a train for a five-minute trip.