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The story
In the redevelopment project in front of Tokyo Station’s Yaesu exit, the large mixed-use complex “Tofrom Yaesu Tower” opened on September 10 — but two buildings that never joined the redevelopment are still standing on either side of the main entrance. Speaking to the Sankei Shimbun, one of the owners explained the reason: “My parents told me not to sell.” On 5ch, some see these “stubborn holdout buildings” (do-konjo biru, literally “guts buildings”) as part of what makes Yaesu distinctive, while others argued that redeveloped areas often end up looking polished but fail to become places people actually want to stick around in, and some suggested that overly strong property rights may be what’s holding redevelopment back.
Sep 19 (Sat), 9:38 AM JST
Sankei Shimbun
As part of the redevelopment project in front of Tokyo Station’s Yaesu exit, the large mixed-use facility “Tofrom Yaesu Tower” opened on the 10th. However, two buildings that did not take part in the redevelopment remain standing on either side of the main entrance facing Tokyo Station. While these “stubborn holdout buildings,” which refused the land buyout, may reflect Yaesu’s diversity, criticism of the resulting visual mismatch seems likely too. One of the owners explained that the reason for not joining the redevelopment was “my parents’ wishes.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article
What people said
Growing up, I was told, "They built this amazing building in Marunouchi called the Shin-Maru Building [New Maru Building]."
Then as an adult, the Maru Building got rebuilt, and suddenly it was "the Maru Building is the newest one now, the Shin-Maru Building is the old one."
Then, even later, the Shin-Maru Building got rebuilt too, so now it's like "the Shin-Maru Building is the newest, but please still support the old Maru Building too."
Marunouchi makes no sense.
Back in the day, Marunouchi was just rice paddies full of frogs, while Yaesu was the trendy spot where you could get the latest must-have goods.
Exactly this.
Places that look good but that nobody actually sticks around in.
Highway rest stops (SA/PA) are the same way — they look nice, but they're just not comfortable to be in.
Compared to Tsukiji, it really shows how boring Toyosu is.
Big corporations buying everything up is also a problem, though. It's a bit more understandable in places with high public importance, like airports.
That's so true.
An old-school Japanese sweets shop, sure, or some company's office building, I'd get — but this…
They probably just didn't offer as much money as expected.
The redevelopment is insane, but don't cave — this spot is worth holding onto.
You couldn't buy it for anywhere near 30 million a tsubo. Land like that probably starts at 100 million a tsubo. There's no replacing it.
People who casually say "the Showa era was so great" tend to forget about stuff like that.
There's one in Yaechika (the underground mall by Yaesu) too, though not many people seem to know about it.
I spotted a line of people who looked like they might be getting free booze, so I waited in it for about 15 minutes — but all that came out was tea.
Turned out, if you looked closely, it said non-alcoholic only during the day. Everyone around me was saying stuff like "we got played" and "if there's no booze, just tell us up front!"
Probably run by the same people behind "Tofu-atama" (a company/mascot nickname, lit. "tofu head").
Feels like it'll go downhill fast.
What a cheapskate move.
Guess this is shaping up to be the next Kabukicho Tower situation.
Good thing the yakuza are so toothless these days.
Back in the Showa era, the yakuza would've been all over a deal like this.
The land-sharking was at its worst around 1990, during the bubble economy.
If it happened in the Showa era, well — we made it through that era and here we are now.
Overseas, they'd just force everyone out and redevelop the whole area properly.
And there goes the "overseas is better" crowd, thoroughly debunked.
Can people actually live in this?
An old sushi shop?
Is it a private home, or a tenant building?
The photo shop in Kodenmacho is pretty wild too.
Huh, it doesn't look like it's falling apart any time soon — tearing it down would be a waste.
Redevelopment plans built around the assumption everyone will move out end up looking painfully lame when the eviction doesn't fully pan out.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
A “stubborn holdout building” (do-konjo biru) is a colloquial term for a building whose owner refused to sell or rebuild during a redevelopment project, leaving it standing even after the surrounding block was reorganized — there are several other examples of this in central Tokyo. Japan’s urban redevelopment projects generally move forward based on the consent of landowners who join a redevelopment association, and unlike public works projects, there is essentially no mechanism for forced expropriation — meaning an owner can legally keep their building standing simply by not agreeing to join. During the bubble economy, aggressive eviction tactics known as “jiage” (land-sharking) became a major social problem, and commenters in the thread looked back on those practices. Opinions in the thread were split over whether to view these individual holdout buildings as a positive expression of neighborhood character and diversity, or as a sign of visual inconsistency and inefficiency — with some citing examples of forced eviction overseas, and others pushing back against that view.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Breaking News+) thread “[Tokyo] “Stubborn Holdout” Buildings Survive Yaesu Redevelopment — Owner Says “My Parents Told Me Never to Sell”.”
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