Tamagawa-dori Street
Setagaya City (Tokyo Metropolis), Japan
Japan began its shopping mall evolution in 1929. This is when the first so-called "station mall" was built. These small -often subterranean- shopping arcades were constructed as part of large passenger railway terminals.
40 years later, the nation's first mall-type shopping center made its debut. TAMAGAWA TAKASHIMAYA SC was developed by Osaka's Takashimaya chain of department stores, under the auspices of Tokyo-based Toshin Kaihatsu, Limited, a real estate subsidiary.
Prior to construction, agents of the Toshin company had investigated various shopping centers in Europe and the United States. It was decided that the car-culture-based American model would not be feasible in Japan, as most of its citizens did not own an automobile. A decision was made to emulate shopping facilities in Sweden, which had been built near, or as part of, public transportation terminals.
A 7.9-acre plot, located 5.8 miles southwest of center city Tokyo, was acquired. Until the mid-1960s, it had contained a small amusement park. The site, near the northern bank of the Tama River, was within the City of Setagaya, one of twenty-three special wards comprising the eastern half of the urban core or "Tokyo Metropolis."
The site was also adjacent to the Tokyu Corporation's Futako-Tamagawaen commuter train terminal. By mid-1968, land had been cleared and construction of a mall-type shopping center was underway. A (277,300 square foot) Takashimaya department store occupied half of the area of 5 of the center's 6 retail levels, with floors 4 and 5 being dedicated entirely to said store.
TAMAGAWA TAKASHIMAYA SC opened for business on November 11, 1969. The fully-enclosed shopping venue encompassed approximately 525,300 leasable square feet. At the top of the complex -on a 7th floor- was a pastoral roof garden. A multi-level parking garage flanked the mall's west side, with a sky bridge connecting the two.
Following the lead of TAMAGAWA TAKASHIMAYA SC, several shopping malls were built in the environs of Tokyo. The first of these was SHIBUYA 109 (1979), {5.5 miles northeast, in Shibuya City, Tokyo Metropolis}. Following this, there was AEON MALL MUSASHIMURAYAMA (2006) {16.3 miles northwest, in Musashimurayama, Tokyo Metropolis}, LAZONA KAWASAKI PLAZA (2006) {6.7 miles southeast, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture} and LALAPORT YOKOHAMA (2007) {7.4 miles southeast, in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture}.
Several freestanding structures were added on the periphery of the TAMAGAWA TAKASHIMAYA Main Building. In October 1977, the South Building was completed. It occupied 7.1 acres and consisted of 9 levels and approximately 305,200 leasable square feet. Like the Main Building, the South Building featured a rooftop garden. These were connected via sky bridge.
A West Annex was constructed as an extension of the existing West Building parking garage. Peripheral structures were also built on pads northeast of the Main Building. These included the 4-level Garden Island Building (June 1998), 3-level Keyaki Court (November 2000) and 4-level Marronnier Court (April 2001). Eventually, the TAMAGAWA TAKASHIMAYA SC complex would incorporate eleven commercial buildings, covering a total of 16.7 acres.
The Main and South Buildings were renovated in 2003, 2009-2010 and 2019. The newest addition, the 4-level Ivy's Place structure, was completed in March 2014. In the mid-2020s, the main mall and its associated structures encompass approximately 932,200 leasable square feet and contain 676 stores and services.
Sources:
The New York Times
SR Research Report, Takashimaya Company, Limited / December 2014
https://www.tamagawa-sc.com
https://www.takashimaya.co.jp
https://www.japantimes.co.jp / "Futakotamagawa, Somewhere for Everyone" / Setsuko Kamiya / November 2003
http://www.company-histories.com
https://www.ft.com
http://kkaa.co.jp/works/architecture/tamagawa-takashimaya-s-c
http://www.todayifoundout.com
http://www.aeoninfo/en.com
http://www.fundinguniverse.com
https://www.toshin-dev.co.jp
https://www.ft.com / Financial Times, Tokyo
"Takashimaya" article on Wikipedia
"Setagaya, Tokyo" article on Wikipedia
