The End Of Golden Gai?

[Mulboyne]

The Asahi reports (Japanese) that new redevelopment plans have been put forward for Golden Gai, the famous Kabukicho bar district located between Hanazono Jinja and the Shinkuku Ward Office. One possibility is a 50 floor office block with a hotel and facilities aimed at families rather than barflies. Developers say that the buildings are old and dangerous while the streets are too narrow for fire engine access. Golden Gai survived the threat of development during the eighties, holding out long enough for the bubble to burst and real estate companies to lose interest. The new threat seems more serious with reports suggesting that demand for office space in Shinjuku is rising again and landowners are inclined to sell. Golden Gai also lies close to one of the stations being built for the new Tokyo Metro line.

[gomichild]

Are they insane? It is a unique area which supports the lives of a number of fascinating people. There is nowhere else like it.

[emperor]

I better get back to Tokyo ASAP so the Gomis can give me the guided tour before its all gone!! Sob! :cry:

[Kuang_Grade]

Developers say that the buildings are old and dangerous while the streets are too narrow for fire engine access.

Clearly, fire safety is Job #1 in Kabukicho...After all why have a few score of ground level establishments with max capacity 12 people who are only 6 feet from the exit which must be functional since its also the only entrance, when you could have a few dozen of multistory buildings with multiple blocked fire exits in each building.

[Captain Japan]

Developers say that the buildings are old and dangerous while the streets are too narrow for fire engine access.

That is true of many residential streets. Until utility poles are ripped down and their lines buried that will always be the case.

In Nakameguro at the Yamate Dori and Komazawa Dori crossing an entire block (extending from the intersetion nearly all the way back to the Toyoko Line tracks) is in the process of being ripped down. Buildings began being seized about 3 years ago. Just now they are being ripped down. I think there are a few remaining with tenants. I imagine soon the rest will be taken as well. Certainly this section does not have the charm of Golden Gai but this just seems to be the direction the city is headed.

And if there truly is a demand for office space in Shinjuku that tells me there is going to be a massive lack of demand for office space some place else.

[Greji]

And if there truly is a demand for office space in Shinjuku that tells me there is going to be a massive lack of demand for office space some place else.

Capt'n weren't you there last Friday, of is it this Friday? The bigger question is that if they do away with the Gai, where is Mulboyne going to spread his futon?

[GomiGirl]

That photo was taken just outside the bar owned by GomiBrother.

The reason it hasn't happened so far is that all the land is privately owned. There is a chamber of commerce that is fairly active as well. I will see if I can get some inside info on that.

Reminds me - who wants to go for a drink there on Friday night?

[Greji]

Reminds me - who wants to go for a drink there on Friday night?

You silver tongued son-of-a-gun!. I didn't want to, but you just talked me right into it.

[Mulboyne]

I'm afraid I'll have to miss out yet again. Looks like I'll have a lot of catching up to do when I get over.

The bigger question is that if they do away with the Gai, where is Mulboyne going to spread his futon?

I would certainly miss the place but they would need to build an awful lot of 50-storey skyscrapers before Tokyo started to run out of bars. There are parts of Asakusa where a younger crowd have started up and called themselves the "new Golden Gai". They are good but the location is not a patch on the west side of Tokyo - I can't imagine dropping by on the offchance like you can do in so many other areas.

I think there will be opposition to the new development and it may get some high profile support from artists and writers. If the owners want to sell, though, I don't see much hope for the place since that kind of campaign has a poor record of success in Japan. I wonder how Tokyo Governor Ishihara sees it. As a writer himself, he might have some sympathy for Golden Gai although I have never heard of him going there. He has also supported efforts to accomodate filmakers on the streets of Tokyo and Golden Gai is a favourite for location shooting. German director Wim Wenders is a regular at the bar called Jetee when he is in town. On the other hand, he is squarely behind the clean-up of Kabukicho and he may view this redevelopment as a central part of that strategy.

[gomichild]

Reminds me - who wants to go for a drink there on Friday night?

Pass for me - I in the Big Mikan tomorrow, not Friday.

[geronimo]

Im in...now that Im back in town I feel a need for a golden gai night before it disappears...

[Mulboyne]

This is a good article from the Asahi a few months ago. It describes the threat from developers in the 80's, the upturn following the change in tenancy laws, and the threat which that change poses.