Marunouchi Oazo, a multipurpose commercial complex just north of JR Tokyo Station, opened Tuesday and is expected to be the new face of the neighborhood.
The complex, which takes its name from the Esperanto for "oasis," was developed by Mitsubishi Estate Co. and other developers.
Comprising four new buildings and one existing structure, the complex is built on the 24,000-sq.-meter former site of the headquarters for Japanese National Railways.
A commercial building in the complex houses 24 restaurants and bars from the first basement level to the sixth floor, and a Maruzen Co. bookstore boasting an inventory of about 1.2 million volumes, one of the biggest in Japan. It also houses the 205-room Marunouchi Hotel, which will open Oct. 1, from the seventh through 17th floors. The area around Tokyo Station had been undergoing a major revitalization.
The Marunouchi Building was completed in 2002 in the center of the Marunouchi district.