Since opening in 1980, the area in front of the shopping complex near Shinjuku Station has been a well-known meeting spot known as "Alta-mae," or "in front of Alta," and many people with fond memories of the site gathered to witness the end of an era. Managed by major Japanese department store operator Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. as a fashion-focused shopping complex, Shinjuku Alta housed stores selling apparel and sundries. The building's exterior, with its large-scale screen, frequently appeared at the start of the TV show "Waratte Iitomo," meaning "it's OK to laugh," filmed on the seventh floor. It became the "face" of the east exit of what the Guinness World Records has recognized as the world's busiest railway station. But visitors declined after the show ended in 2014, and the decision was made to close it amid difficulties in giving it new life.