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Twin towers to be built around Tokyo's Shinjuku Station

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Sorry but it’s a bit insensitive to the thousands who die and are still suffering in the NY twin towers attacks.

That's a rather American-centric attitude. There are various twin towers around the world. Off the top of my head are the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, or a little closer to home, the twin towers at Nagoya station.

Twin towers is a description. One that was applied to the world trade center no doubt, but also to other twin towers.

41 ( +47 / -6 )

Sorry but it’s a bit insensitive to the thousands who die and are still suffering in the NY twin towers attacks. Just seeing the title brought me back to a time I wish not revisit.

What is being planned in Tokyo has absolutely nothing to do with The World Trade Center - which is what those buildings were called.

20 ( +23 / -3 )

This is wrong for some many reasons. The public sector should be discouraging not encouraging such development. One wonders if any of the planners have actually been through Shinjuku Station in the rush hour. Why make it worse, which is something such large building will inevitably do?

The transportation system, stations, the infrastructure in that area are already overloaded. Why overload them more? Why not develop provincial cities instead? Why make Tokyo, commuting, working in Tokyo even more unpleasant than it already is?

If anything is learnt from Covid, planners should realise that crowded trains, crowded stations, concentrations of people in close contact are dangerous. They should learn that people do not need to go to an office in central Tokyo five days a week.

I fear nothing will be learnt.

13 ( +20 / -7 )

Was going to mention the Twin Towers at Nagoya station. Twins even tho they are different shapes.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

 twin towers each about 260 meters tall ....... to make the area more connected and accessible 

Are they aware how idiotic this description reads? For Shinjuku especially. Are these planners totally wacko?

8 ( +15 / -7 )

Crowded and slow elevator access to higher floors, expensive and limited parking, no cheap restaurants for staff, few places for staff to go for a break, issues with slow deliveries and garbage disposal.

You'd think that Japan would have learned something from the 'Hills' megaliths in Tokyo, prestige addresses for corporates, nightmares for locals to work and travel around.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Given the current situation, with the virus making its rounds, particularly within Shinjuku - it doesn't really seem wise to be building yet another office block / set of confined spaces in which to act like a petri- dish for future outbreaks. A Park are a - or something with a lot of open space may help cheer up the place

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I've experienced difficulty in crossing sides at Shinjuku. I have to do it now they built the "Basuta" long distance coach terminal. The buses used to stop in a back alley by that electrical goods store opposite the main west exit. It was much easier to find than the Basuta is now. For people who don't know, long distance buses are cheap and can often be used as park and ride in inaka with free parking at a bus stop just where it hits the highway.

If teleworking is coming in (and it should be), it's mad to be building more office space with public money. I agree with the "hard to navigate" point but that's nothing to do with big towers.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

The new underground passage way connects east and west. It is wider than the current older underground passage. It reminded me of the underground passage at Tokyo station when they were first completed about 10 years back. Just lots of wide open space. Even with the new passage, it will take awhile to get from one side to the other side of Shinjuku station.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

You dont need to reach to the sky to make east and west accessible from the ground.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

just what we need...... more buildings in Shinjuku ( -_- ) ...smh...

4 ( +8 / -4 )

I think urban planners should look into de-centralizing the area. Shinjuku is already packed and the facilities that those two towers would offer are already being offered around the station.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Used the new passage t+is morning, it is now a million times easier to get from the west side to the east side. In the old times if I was in a real hurry id get a platform ticket to enter the west gates and exit the east gates, lol no longer required!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Just what the growing population needs.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

bit insensitive to the thousands who die and are still suffering in the NY twin towers

there also Twin21 near Osaka castle

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The new normal and teleworking will take a while to impact on the consciousness of petty pen pushers in local government. They will continue to think the answer to everything is to pour more concrete. Probably won’t change until the current crop of fossilised minds are put out to grass.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Sure, there's plenty of money going around, despite the big possibility of no Olympics and a dead economy due to the pandemic.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Shinjuku Station "is one of the busiest in Japan, used by about 3.8 million people per day". No, Shinjuku Station is the BUSIEST station in the world. And just off hand, where are they going to build the towers? Shinjuku is already full of buildings, especially on the East side. There is a park on the West side, but I wouldn't want that to be destroyed.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The station is one of the busiest in Japan, used by about 3.8 million people per day.

I thought it was the busiest station in the World, which ones are equally busy?

The station connects to several department stores and underground shopping malls, making passage around it complex and hard to navigate.

Can't imagine that building a tower either side is going to make it any easier to navigate the low levels around the station

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The station ........................, making passage around it complex and hard to navigate.

That is the understatement of the year.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

They also just built like a visitors center inside of Chuo park with a Starbucks, a few dinning restaurants and wall climbing gym. Every spring, Chuo park holds several festivals from various countries. But one of the most popular festivals is the outdoor activity festivals. It is for people into mountaineering, cycling, hiking, camping, rock climbing and etc. I wonder if it influenced the decision to open a wall climbing gym. I will need to investigate the next time that I am in the area.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Being partly built with taxpayers money?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

I fear it will create more crush and congestion, which is already intolerable around Shinjuku Station. The south side of the station used to be a quiet and pleasant area of small traditional buildings until the Station South development in the 90s that funneled hoards of people thru that area.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It says a new underground passageway is opening Sunday. Today? Anyone know whereabouts it is? North side has a passageway already, following the Marunouchi Line, so I’m guessing it’s around the south side?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I just read that Lumine East and Odakyu Department Store on West side will be torn down and rebuilt into the twin towers. Now my parents are complaining because they saw Odakyu Department Store built when they were kids in the 60s. But really, do we need Twin Towers there? And now with airplanes flying the new route right over central Shinjuku, this is all a disaster waiting to happen.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

East Japan Railway Co are working together to make it easier for people to pass between the areas around Shinjuku Station, particularly west and east of it.

Thank God! Shinjuku Station is a massive maze. It doesnt take me more than 5, 7 minutes to go from West to East exit of any train station in Japan (even the massive Nagoya and Kyoto Stations) but in Shinjuku... I doubt anyone can go from one side to the other in less than 20min during peak hours.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Being partly built with taxpayers money?

Yes, because:

The Tokyo metropolitan government, the capital's Shinjuku Ward and railway operators including East Japan Railway Co are working together to make it easier for people to pass between the areas around Shinjuku Station, particularly west and east of it. The station is one of the busiest in Japan, used by about 3.8 million people per day.

New York and London should learn from Tokyo. Just take look at NYC. It is joke.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

twin towers each about 260 meters tall ....... to make the area more connected and accessible 

Are they aware how idiotic this description reads? For Shinjuku especially. Are these planners totally wacko?

The article stated:

To be erected on the west and east sides of Shinjuku Station, the towers will contain shopping facilities and hotels, with an aerial deck connecting them to the station platforms.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Sorry but it’s a bit insensitive to the thousands who die and are still suffering in the NY twin towers attacks. Just seeing the title brought me back to a time I wish not revisit.

Would hope that they use different terminology and no I do not have an alternative name for them.

-57 ( +7 / -64 )

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