Tokyo Station, Central railway station in Marunouchi, Japan
Tokyo Station's Marunouchi building is a three-story red-brick and white-stone structure 335 meters long, designed by Tatsuno Kingo. Its central section rises under a steep domed roof with a clock above the main entrance, flanked by two lower wings with smaller domed roofs and finials. Rows of dormer windows line the dark roof slopes.
Tatsuno Kingo designed the terminal following European models, opening in December 1914 with three platforms for long-distance trains. Bombing raids in 1945 destroyed the third floor and domes, which were replaced after the war with a simplified two-story design. Restoration work between 2007 and 2012 reconstructed the original structure and interior spaces.
The station marks the symbolic zero point for distance measurements in Japan's national highway system and serves as a meeting place for business travelers transferring between regional trains and long-distance lines. Its central location in the financial district makes it a key hub for commuters from surrounding prefectures.
The station is divided into a Marunouchi (west) side facing the Imperial Palace and a Yaesu (east) side, and signage uses these names for orientation. Underground passages link it to Otemachi and Nijubashimae stations and, over a distance of more than 2 km, to Hibiya, Yurakucho, Ginza and Higashi-Ginza. It also serves as an intercity bus terminal, with overnight services reaching Izumo-Taisha over 800 km away.
A commemorative plaque marks the spot in the northern entrance area where Prime Minister Hara Takashi was assassinated in 1921. The interior dome ceilings feature eight zodiac animals as relief sculptures, reconstructed during restoration based on historical photographs.
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