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Shiodome Travel Guide

Shiodome at a glance

Shiodome is a new skyscraper and business district near Ginza and Shimbashi (Shinbashi) in Tokyo. Until recently, the area was a railway terminal but has seen an explosion in of construction since the year 2000. This ultra-modern 'city within a city' is now home to a wide variety of offices, restaurants, shops, cafes, theaters, and boutiques. Shiodome is also home to some of the newest hotels in Tokyo.

Shiodome used to be marshland on the shores of Tokyo Bay, but was filled in at the beginning of the Edo Period in 1603. The name Shiodome means 'keeping out the tide' and most likely refers to keeping the tides of Tokyo Bay from reaching Edo Castle.

In 1872, the Japanese government used the site to build Shimbashi Station, which was the beginning of Japan's first railway line connecting Tokyo and Yokohama. The station served as a major railway freight terminal during World War II and through the 1980's.

In 1995, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government signed a redevelopment plan for Shiodome and 13 skyscrapers have been completed up to date. The area is now home to a handful of the biggest national and international companies in Japan and some of Tokyo's most expensive hotels.

Orientation

Shiodome is located in central Tokyo, near Ginza, Shimbashi, and the Hama Rikyu Gardens. The district is made up of 11 towns, three of which house most of the area's skyscrapers.

Shiodome SIO-SITE is located on the east side of Shimbashi Station and consists primarily of hotels, businesses, and restaurants. The Western district has many Western-style buildings and is on the west side of the JR tracks. The third main section is a residential area and lies east of the JR tracks.

Major skyscrapers include the Shiodome City Center, the Caretta Shopping Center, the NAIS building, Nippon TV Tower, Royal Park Shiodome Tower, the Dentsu Building, and Shiodome Media Tower.

Shiodome's 13 skyscrapers house the headquarters of some of Japan's biggest companies, including All Nippon Airways (ANA), Fujitsu, Softbank, Nippon TV, Bandai Visual, and Dentsu, Japan's advertising giant.