With about two thirds of the population commuting every day, the railways system is the beating heart of Tokyo’s urban daily life. Major railway stations, which primarily function as nodes in the...Show moreWith about two thirds of the population commuting every day, the railways system is the beating heart of Tokyo’s urban daily life. Major railway stations, which primarily function as nodes in the transportation network, have developed from humble wooden structures into massive sites of consumption, destination themselves, which act as economic, social and cultural hubs. A major factor behind this development is private railway companies' extensive engagement in the real estate sector, which throughout the 20th century has resulted in the birth of new commercial spaces within the context of the station: the terminal department store (a department store inside of the station managed by a railway company), the ekichika (an underground area of the station), and more recently, the ekinaka (the area within the gates of the station). This thesis explores the relationship between city and railway station through a contextualization of the three spaces mentioned above and the case study of Shinjuku, the busiest station in the world. The analysis shows that by reintegrating urban spaces in the context of the station, private railway companies have created a new urban playground for the passenger, decontextualized from the idea of commuting.Show less
During the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million...Show moreDuring the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million in 2015. The government made active efforts towards this achievement as part of the strategy to strenghten the Japanese image abroad, as well as its national brand. A necessary part of this strategy was constituted by Japanese food, following the international popularity that it enjoyed in the recent years. As the global interest for authenticity and uniqueness grew especially in regards to food and tourism, this resarch tries to understand why Japanese government is using food as a product to give legitimization to its entire national brand, specifically by selling it through tourism consumption, to then establish which strategies are being adopted in order to reach this scope.Show less
