History of Center-gai

[GaijinPunch]

Or Sentaa-gai, however you want to pronounce. I was in Tokyo Tomin Ginko today clearing up some biness (I messed up a name on a cash furikomi) and saw some of their pictures of Shibuya and the surrounding areas in the 50's & 60's. Blows my mind how much has changed in only 50 years.

Anyways, this site has two pictures taken from on top of Shibuya station, showing what is now Scramble Kousaten. Am I mistaken, or is Center-gai simply not there in the Showa 25 pic? Looks like they would've had to tear the *** out of that place to make it. Then again, it's an old picture.

 

[epigene]

I wasn't there in Showa 25-nen (1950) , but I know for sure that there was nothing but trees between "then newly built" Shibuya Parco and NHK in my time....

There was no Center-gai (at least the kind of establishments we see there today) either... and only small Mom&Dad shops between that intersection and Tokyo Department Store (Bunkamura today). In those days, the only reason I went to Shibuya was to shop at Seibu Department Store...
(I confess!! That was in the 1970s... )

Edit: I checked the official website and it says it was an "adult entertainment district" in my time... I don't remember seeing anything noticeable like what the website claims there was...?

 

[GaijinPunch]

Interesting. These pictures simply blow my mind. Looks like a parking log of all things across from the station. A parking lot... on the ground level, w/ no second floor. How crazy and revolutionary was that?!

As someone who was barely around in the 70's at all (Generation X), I can't even comment on the changes in my home city, as I lived in the suburbs. I guess these pictures are proof of what a bubble can do.

FYI, the picture at the bank I saw was a bit higher resolution than this. Looks like what is now Q-Front was some type of quilt or fabric store. You could make out the giant 毛 kanji. Would love to see documented changes throughout the city. Hard to find images from so long ago though.

 

[epigene]

Basically, Shibuya area was virtually owned by the Tokyu Railway Group in the postware period, and all the major buildings and shopping centers were run by Tokyu. The aerial cableway that is in the photo you posted was run by Tokyu Department Store, according to the website. And Gotoh Planetarium was Tokyu-owned (Gotoh being the founder of the corporate group).

In those days, there was nothing like what Shibuya is today, so it was easy to find Chuken Hachiko...

The lower part of Dogenzaka was called "Koibumi Yokocho (love-letter writing street) because there were some people with English capability there who wrote love letters in English for Japanese women to send to their American GI lovers. (Okay, I must tell you that was before my time...)

All the stretch of land from around Seibu Department Store up to Parco and other shopping centers further up the slope leading to NHK had been developed by the Seibu Group--therefore, Tokyu Hands, Seibu, Parco, Loft and others that are or were affiliated to the Seibu Group.

I think that Shibuya's tranformation began with development by Seibu and opening of the first-ever Parco there (around 1970, I think). Until then, Shibuya was a sleepy town that was very dark after sundown.

 

[GaijinPunch]

Interesting read. Thanks. I read about the cable car being run by Tokyuu (although it seems they are referred to as Toyoko then... or is it just the shop?). I find it strange that the cable car was only there for 3 years. Seems to be a waste of overhead for such a short lifespan.