What is "Shibuya Manabu", the science of Shibuya, a city that symbolizes Japan's prosperity?
―What kind of specific research are you doing with the “Shibuya Manabu” that Professor Ishii is working on?
Ishii: This is a project to study the city of Shibuya from the perspective of history, folklore, and religion, and to think about and research its future possibilities. It started as a regional study to explore Shibuya, which has complex and diverse faces.
―How did the project come about?
Ishii: When I came to Kokugakuin University and served as vice president, as part of the university's branding, I was told that I wanted to be conscious of the city of Shibuya, where the university is located. That's where "Shibuya Manabu" was born.
―At the time of the 120th anniversary of the founding of Kokugakuin University, it was also published as a book. What kind of concept did you create?
Ishii: The concept of "Shibuya Manabu" (Kobundo, 2017) was "Let's create an easy-to-read general book." Shibuya can be said to be a city that symbolizes the prosperity of Japan, as it is often broadcast on TV news and weather forecasts. In addition, it was right around the time when the city of Shibuya was undergoing a once-in-a-century redevelopment, so while incorporating many photos and illustrations of the city in the past, I summarized it from the perspective of how the city can be studied.
Shibuya river and rural scenery. The countryside of Shibuya
-Are there any historical episodes that you feel are important for your research while studying the city of Shibuya?
Ishii: The turning point was the Meiji era when Shibuya station was built. In the Edo period, many rivers, such as the Shibuya River, flowed through the area, surrounded by fields, and it was a place where daimyo's villas, suburban residences, were located. Shibuya Station was built in 1885 (Meiji 18), and since then it has gradually developed into a modern city. However, when viewed from the "central" area around Edo Castle, it is completely suburban.
―Even if the station was built, it was positioned in the countryside.
Ishii: It wasn't until the end of the Taisho era and the Showa era that commerce developed, and Shibuya became the bustling area it is today after World War II. Shibuya station in the late Taisho era is developing little by little. It seems that the station building became a hot topic at that time.
―Did the war have a big impact on you?
Ishii: Shibuya was also hit by an air raid, leaving only a portion of it burnt down. Since it became a burnt field, it will be necessary to reorganize the land from scratch, which will lead to the creation of a new Shibuya town. That's how the black market culture is created. Black market was big not only in Shibuya, but also in Shinjuku, Ueno and Ikebukuro.
―Why did black market gather in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ueno?
Ishii: Probably because it was a terminal. At that time, private railways had already been established. Ueno is the gateway to Tohoku, and Ikebukuro is one of the gateways to Saitama, with Tobu Railway. Shinjuku is the entrance to the inner part of Tokyo through the Chuo Line. Shibuya used to be the entrance to the railway line that stretched westward to places like Yokohama. The culture and unique atmosphere of the black market are still here and there. Nonbei Yokocho is a typical example.
The color of Shibuya created by the topography of the valley floor
\- What are the characteristics of Shibuya that mixes modern things such as buildings and department stores with underground culture such as black market?
Ishii: I think that the fact that various people and cultures gather here has something to do with the fact that the topography of the city of Shibuya is at the bottom of the valley. As you can see from the fact that the Ginza Line comes from Aoyama and goes through the air instead of going underground, it's quite a valley compared to places like Shinjuku.
After all, people tend to gather at the bottom of the valley, and I think there is a sense of security. That's why people may want to get together for Halloween and so on. The scramble crossing has become a “symbol of people gathering”.
\- How will Shibuya become a cultural mecca?
Ishii: The development of Shibuya cannot be considered without its relationship with Shinjuku. In the 1960s, there was a security struggle centered on students, and Shinjuku was greatly affected by it.
\- Didn't Shibuya have that kind of color?
Ishii: Compared to Shinjuku, development was delayed in Shibuya, and there were no skyscrapers, so I think it gave the impression of not being very impressive. The main building of the Tokyu department store is also about 10 minutes away from the station on foot, and speaking of Shibuya specialties at that time, it was about "Astronomical Museum Goto Planetarium (closed March 2001)". However, the lack of color had a major impact on subsequent development.
Olympics, Parco, Koen-dori... Shibuya culture that has developed differently from Shinjuku
―What exactly happened?
Ishii: The 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1963, the year before, NHK moved its headquarters from Atagoyama in Kamiyacho to Shibuya for broadcasting the Tokyo Olympics. After all, the fact that NHK existed had considerable influence. Not only NHK, but also related companies such as video-related companies and publishers gather in Shibuya.
After various conflicts occurred after the war, media-related headquarters gathered in the blank area of Shibuya, becoming a place that symbolized Japan's economic development and reconstruction after the war and supported its subsequent development.
\- Has there been any change in the scenery of the city since NHK and media-related companies have gathered in Shibuya?
Ishii: Seibu was the first to take notice of the development of Shibuya. In 1968, Seibu Department Store opened a Shibuya store near the station, and in 1973 Shibuya Parco was created. This had a huge impact on the culture scene of the time.
Unlike the so-called department store, it was accompanied by a cultural, bright and gorgeous consumer image. From the very beginning of its opening, PARCO has aimed to provide and serve as a base for culture, and has built an art museum and a concert hall within the building. From that time on, we were doing a lot of interesting projects, such as exhibiting avant-garde paintings and holding concerts by up-and-coming pianists. Shibuya PARCO was the first Yves Saint Laurent boutique in Japan. There is the existence of "admiration" of overseas brands, and there is a street with a new name "Koen-dori". That was different from the image of downtown Shinjuku, and combined with the consumer culture of the 1970s, Shibuya became a very bright place.
It is Shibuya-like that young people create culture without permission
As a result, in 1979 Tokyu created "Fashion Community 109 (now SHIBUYA 109)", but at first it was not as crowded as expected.
-That's surprising. Why?
Ishii: Originally, the target demographic was not narrowed down, and it was an ordinary commercial facility used by a wide range of people, from young to old. The bursting of the bubble economy added another blow. Of course, as the economy worsened and the sales of all the 109 stores decreased, there was only one store whose earnings remained unchanged. That was a fashion brand store for high teens. So the manager at the time said, "This might work," so he threw out all the shops in the building for high teens.
-That's a big decision. So, did it become what it is today after the bubble burst?
Ishii: That's right. The bustle at that time was really great, and young people from rural areas were also aiming for 109. There was a queue from the night before the New Year's lucky bag sale, and the line continued in several lines in the underground mall. There was even a culture of having a product exchange party at the entrance plaza after the purchase. This is completely a culture created by the customer. The fashion called "shibu-kaji" that was popular in the 1980s was not something fashion designers or companies proposed, but clothes created by young people who gathered in Shibuya. So is the music called "Shibuya-kei". At that time, I used to walk around Center Gai a lot, and there were many independent shops with a unique atmosphere. It's a big city, but there was a town atmosphere with a handmade feel.
People on the 4th floor enjoying the diversity of Shibuya
―It is said that the renovation of JR Shibuya Station will be completed by 2027.
Ishii: The city of Shibuya has become taller due to the once-in-a-century development, but in fact, the scramble crossing and the center street are almost the same. Until now, the city of Shibuya was divided by the highway and Meiji-dori, making it difficult to move around. However, in this renovation work, it became possible to move in parallel between the basement and the second floor, and the area called "Shibuya" was expanded considerably. Nevertheless, young people are not only headed to Scramble Square and Hikarie, but they are absorbed into the back of that area centered on the center street from the intersection as in the past. Isn't there a diverse world spreading around that area, where the various tastes of young people gather?
―What kind of people do you think will gather in Shibuya?
Ishii: I believe that Shibuya's users mainly consist of four layers. One is the so-called young people. It is a layer of teens and 20s who play in Center Gai and Oku-Shibu. The second is the senior layer. The shops in Hikarie and Scramble Square also have many lineups that cater to older people. The third is IT and digital companies. There are also many IT companies. And there are local residents who live there as the fourth layer. In autumn, the local festival "Konno Hachimangu Reitaisai" is held. Mikoshi from each region gather in front of SHIBUYA 109, and from here they are divided into town councils. It's a very unique landscape. Since it is a holiday, there are a lot of shoppers and young people, but everyone has their own purpose. Not everyone enjoys festivals like Asakusa, but everyone comes to Shibuya for their own enjoyment. It's a very strange sight. In Shibuya, these four layers of people coexist without forcibly merging. Rather, I think that it leads to the diversity of Shibuya. Rather than being a jumble of different cultures, it feels like they coexist side by side.
―What do you want the city of Shibuya to do in the future?
Ishii: Culture is born out of chaos. I would like you to leave a chaotic state in a good sense, rather than "ambiguity". Until now, the culture of Shibuya has been created by the people who gather there. It becomes major, and it is transmitted as "Japanese culture". PARCO was also born in Shibuya and is now expanding to other regions. "Amura" and "Ganguro" also originated in Shibuya and spread throughout Japan. So, I think that Shibuya is the city with the greatest potential for creating a new culture in Japan.
\- Shibuya has the potential to create a new culture.
Ishii: I think so. If you look at the city of Shibuya, I think you can understand the direction of Japanese culture, not just Tokyo. If something outstanding doesn't happen in Shibuya, I feel that Japanese culture and the power to create something are lacking. Shibuya may be a barometer of Japanese culture. I look forward to the diverse and vibrant evolution of Shibuya in the future.
Notification
With the 90th anniversary of the enforcement of the district system, Shibuya Ward has released a dedicated site "SHIBUYA CITY RECORD" that allows you to widely browse the records of the ward as a digital archive. Many public relations papers and public relations photographs that have been stored as paper media and could not be viewed by the general public have been digitized for the purpose of preservation and inheritance, and are open to the public on the dedicated site "SHIBUYA CITY RECORD". did. We release 970 points of public information photographs after 1955, ward public information paper 450 points after 1948 and add sequentially in future.
