I had drinks with a friend in Yurakucho. From Takebashi, transferring on the Tozai and Ginza lines to Ginza is quick and cheap, though a bit of a hassle.
Do you know how beautifully renovated the area under the tracks on the west side of JR Yurakucho Station has become? I had heard about it and seen the article (lower left＝January 31 Nikkei morning edition, "Metropolitan Economy" page), so
every time I was nearby I looked but could not find it—until the other day I finally confirmed it＝photo top.
The spot is the walkway under the Shinkansen tracks near Yurakucho Station's Ginza exit—past the back of Hankyu toward Sukiyabashi crossing on Harumi-dori. According to Nikkei, the Yurakucho Chuo-dori shopping association, Lumine, JR Tokai and others pooled funds, spending tens of millions of yen to repave 1,000 m² of asphalt walkway with varied blocks and add LED lighting. Work started late last year and finished in mid-January. Once old and dim, "in contrast to bustling Yurakucho and Ginza, foot traffic was sparse at night—so merchants and others privately led the renovation," the article says.
Not to be a killjoy, but something feels off. I thought about what. It is the image of "under the tracks." You picture photos lower right, or the passage under the tracks from the Imperial Hotel toward Shimbashi. That world had been prettified, so I searched but could not find it.
The LED-lit place is simply a station-front walkway with Shinkansen running above by chance. Do we really call that "under the tracks"?
Well, a cleaner city is generally fine. But please do not kill the atmosphere along with the grime.