TOKYO — The site of Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market, left empty after it was razed six years ago, will be replaced by a scenic waterfront stadium and glistening skyscrapers according to plans for its redevelopment that are facing some staunch opposition.
“We are entering a new chapter. Over the years of Japan's modernization, waterfronts were used for warehouses and factories,” said Jiro Ueda, an executive overseeing development planning at major real estate company Mitsui Fudosan, which heads the consortium that won the bid to redevelop the area. What’s left of the old Tsukiji market, a quaint “retro” area packed with sushi and ice cream stalls called the “jogai” or “outer area” of the market, will be kept like it is, right next to the modern development.
The project building will connect ferries on the city’s rivers and Tokyo Bay with city subway lines and provide a showcase venue for international conventions, trade shows and summits as well as tourism. Christian Dimmer, a professor of urban studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, believes the fish market should have stayed where it was, and developers should leverage the historical and cultural legacy of cities.
Mitsui Fudosan is facing criticism over other projects, including redevelopment of the leafy Jingu Gaien area between Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine and the Imperial Palace. Opponents of the project, which involves renovating two sports arenas, especially object to the loss of famous rows of gingko trees in the area’s streets. The company says the trees and overall natural landscape will be preserved.