Farewell Harajuku Station with memories at 21:15 on November 21
“Lolita Fashion” for “Takenoko”.
Harajuku is a city that has attracted many people as a place for youth culture of the times. It was that station building built in the Taisho era that continued to look at the flow of such a time.
What do people think now that it will be demolished next year?
(Reporter of the network report department Daisuke Narita Akihiko Kanno Yosuke Tsuji)
To the news of “To Harajuku Station, dismantling”
“Dismantling of Harajuku Station” announced the other day.
There are a lot of voices on the Internet envying the dismantling of the station building.
“The buildings of the good old days are disappearing ... lonely.”
“It's obsolete, but everything should be new.
“That retro station building on the forefront of fashion is sad and sad”
Harajuku is a popular place for youth culture and has been visited not only by Tokyo but also by local people. There seems to be thought in each.
A place full of memories
"Is the wooden station building in Harajuku station demolished after the Olympics? Another memory of Showa will disappear again"
This post also includes a photo taken at a place that seems to be Harajuku station in the past.
I decided to listen to what kind of memories I had.
I posted a 56-year-old male office worker who lives in Saitama Prefecture.
The man seems to have worked part-time at Harajuku Station during the National Railways for about three years when he was a high school student about 40 years ago.
“The high school I was attending was a railway-related school, so I was working part-time at Harajuku station with my senior. When I was in charge of the ticket gates and the platform, I had no contact with the station staff. I went to the station almost every day, including a 56 "male.
At that time, Harajuku attracted young people called “Take noko” and “Roller”, and the city was filled with free air.
“Harajuku station is free compared to other stations, and the staff members are free to make announcements with a little playful guidance, or“ Harajuku without umbrellas ”and the name of the place in Harajuku is in the lyrics. Los Indios & Sylvia Even if I played the song in a cassette, I had a good atmosphere and I enjoyed every day. ”(56-year-old man)
Surely, if you look closely at the photos you have posted, you can see the atmosphere of those days when you saw the idol Seiko Matsuda representing the 80's on the chest of the station staff.
Harajuku Station is packed with memories of youth.
He says he was shocked when he knew it would be dismantled.
“At that time, there was a station staff who was good at painting and I made a stadium designed by the person who sketched the station building, and I remembered that everyone was wearing it. I'm just lonely "(56-year-old man)
The streets around Harajuku Station are said to have changed significantly compared to when men worked. Still, one of the unchanging scenery was that station building.
“I feel relieved when I see the station that does n’t change. It ’s a pity that there ’s no place to remember, but I ’ve been far away for the last five years, so I ’d like to visit again and take a picture before it ’s gone. (56-year-old man)
Thank you for keeping watching
A pastry shop 300 meters away from Harajuku Station. It was founded in the same year as the station building was completed and has been operating at the current location for about 50 years.
President Toshifumi Ozawa (66) said about Harajuku Station: “It has been loved by history. The people who made it 95 years ago would not have imagined that Harajuku would be a big town. I am grateful for keeping watching this place with the symbol of nature. "
And as for the dismantling of the station building that played a major role in the development of Harajuku, “There are aspects that I think can only be considered when considering the number of users and congestion, but it is very unfortunate that it will be dismantled. I would like you to keep the shape of the station building as much as possible, ”he said.
The oldest wooden station building
The current station building of Harajuku Station was built in 1924, the year after the Great Kanto Earthquake. This is the oldest wooden station building in the JR East area, 95 years ago.
The pillar called European “half timber style” is also characteristically exposed outside the building.
During the Pacific War, Harajuku was also affected by air raids, especially on May 24th and 25th of the Showa 20th, the Aoyama Street and Omotesando became burnt fields, but Harajuku Station was miraculously free from damage. It was.
The Tokyo Olympics in 1964 was close to the National Yoyogi Stadium where the swimming was held and the Shibuya Public Hall where the weightlifting was held, so the Olympic Information Center was also built in front of Harajuku Station.
After that, Harajuku Station entered the Heisei era and became popular as the gateway to Harajuku, a “sacred place for cute culture”.
However, JR East announced that Harajuku Station will be rebuilt in 2016 three years ago, assuming that the station is aging while many customers are expected in front of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The construction of a new station building was promoted adjacent to the current station building, and it was planned to discuss with local shopping streets and citizens whether the current station building would be demolished.
The process until the dismantling
Shibuya Ward, where Harajuku Station is located, submitted a request form to JR East in October 2016 in response to the opinions of local residents and shop owners. We have continued discussions with JR, such as wanting to preserve and utilize the current station building.
According to the ward, there were many opinions from local residents that the station was built in the current location with the Jingu Forest in the background, and that it was worth it as it was.
On the other hand, JR East also examined the response. The area around the station is designated as a fire prevention area, and if it is used for purposes other than the station building, a “use change” is required.
However, if the usage is changed, fire resistance will become a problem in the current building. Therefore, JR East decided to dismantle it because it was difficult to preserve, and decided to create a building that recreated the shape of the current station building as far as possible about 8 meters south of the current location. However, the area seems to be about a quarter.
In addition, if materials that have been dismantled can be reused, they are considering whether they can be used in new buildings.
In some cases, after the dismantling
Still, there are a lot of voices on the internet that want to preserve and relocate.
In fact, some stations are trying to “revive” after dismantling. This is Kunitachi Station, the second oldest wooden station building in Tokyo after Harajuku Station.
The building with a red triangular roof built in Taisho 15 was a symbol of Kunitachi city. However, the station building was demolished in 2006, with the construction of an elevated track to eliminate the traffic jams that occur at the railroad crossings.
Therefore, Kunitachi City wanted to rebuild the building, and designated the building as a tangible cultural property of the city just before the dismantling.
After storing the reusable parts such as the pillars of the dismantled building, we are proceeding with the work to purchase the land in front of the station from JR and restore it to its original form.
Expenses will cost approximately 1.05 billion yen, but the city is responding by soliciting donations.
The building of the former Kunitachi Station will be opened in April next year as a base for transmitting information about the town, and about 70% of the materials will be reused from the previous station building.
The person in charge of Kunitachi said, “I was surprised to hear that Kunitachi station was dismantled because it was PR that it was the second oldest next to Harajuku station. It is a symbol of the region and I want you to cherish it. ”
To new memories
Harajuku station is crowded with many people today.
The figure of the person who took a picture of the station building that was decided to be dismantled stood out.
The figure of such a person staring at the station building ...
“I heard it in the news, so I decided to leave it as a hobby postcard. It ’s sad that there ’s no longer a station that I ’ve been familiar with for a long time.” (A 77-year-old woman from Yotsukaido, Chiba Prefecture)
Harajuku Station where people intersect and memories of that number have been spun.
What memories will be made in the next station building?