Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district will get a 230-meter high observation deck before the Olympics that could become more famous than its statue of Hachiko the dog or the "scramble crossing" by the train station, plans unveiled by Tokyu Corp. showed Thursday.
"From this observation deck, you can see the busiest crossing in the world. It will be the only such facility where you can feel the dynamism of Shibuya, and we hope that this will be a globally popular spot," said Takuji Okugi, a section chief for the Shibuya redevelopment project at Tokyu, unveiling images of the facility overlooking the east side of the station.
Tokyu, along with East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) and Tokyo Metro Co., is a major stakeholder in the shopping district. It said the observation deck will top a new skyscraper set to open in 2019 in front of the Hikarie complex and have about 3,000 sq. meters of floor space, making it one of the biggest in Japan. It will have a helipad, too.
Visitors will be able to see the capital's other landmarks, including Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree, as well as Mount Fuji on a clear day. At 230 meters, it will rival the 238-meter Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills but remain in the shadow of Japan's tallest commercial building, the 300-meter Abeno Harukas in Osaka.
Tokyu also said the railways are redesigning the subways to improve access between train lines going into and out of the station.
