A major cultural and technological complex to be built near Tokyo's Haneda airport has a name: Haneda Innovation City, or HICity for short.
Haneda Future Development Co. announced plans in May 2018 for the complex, which will be located near the airport's international terminal. Some of the planned facilities will open in summer 2020 ahead of the grand opening of the complex in 2022, the company said Tuesday while unveiling the name.
The 5.9-hectare complex will be located near Tenkubashi Station, one stop from the international terminal on the Tokyo Monorail and the Keikyu Airport Line, and will consist of cultural and technological industrial facilities. It is being called the Innovation Corridor and will be surrounded by a variety of facilities "to boost the creation of new experiences and values."
The complex will include an innovative clinical research center, labs and offices, a Japanese cultural experience facility, a hydrogen charging station, a music hall named Zepp Haneda, and restaurants and accommodations.
Due to its convenient location next to the country's busiest airport, developers hope Haneda Innovation City will become a new landmark for travelers.
"We are hoping that the facility will be utilized by various people, including locals and foreign tourists," a spokesman for Haneda Future Development said. "We are planning to make the complex a place where visitors can interact with people, things and experiences that they have never encountered before."
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, 31 million people visited the country from overseas in 2018, a record high. That number is expected to increase further next year, helped by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.