Shibuya has seen quite a transformation in the past few years, starting with the department store and skyscraper Shibuya Hikarie, which opened to much fanfare in 2012. Since then, a host of new buildings has turned the district into a gleaming modern cityscape, including the multi-purpose Shibuya Fukuras, the 230m-tall Shibuya Scramble Square (with the jaw-dropping observation deck Shibuya Sky), the outdoor Shibuya Stream, and the remodelled Parco department store.
Photo: Mitsui Fudosan
Now it’s Miyashita Park’s turn for a makeover. Originally a public area with a small playground, the park will now turn into a shopping complex and hotel with an edgy rooftop park. The redevelopment project started in 2011, when Nike built an outdoor climbing wall and a skateboarding park. By this summer, the area will become a sleek one-stop tourist attraction – a far cry from homely park used by office workers during their lunch break.
Photo: Mitsui Fudosan
Despite a controversy in the early 2010s regarding a corporate partnership and involving the homeless, many locals are in favour of the redevelopment of the park, which will open in June 2020, one month before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The new Miyashita Park will resemble Shibuya Stream; this multi-purpose facility will feature a shopping and entertainment complex and a hotel, topped with a lush rooftop park filled with trees and other greenery – a natural haven right in the centre of the bustling city.
In the meantime, check out these rooftop gardens in Tokyo. Visiting Japan? Learn proper manners and customs from geisha and sumo wrestlers in these etiquette videos.