The Nihonbashi area redevelopment is progressing well. The plan is to eventually redevelop the area around Japan’s famed bridge, even moving the much-despised overhead highway underground to bring back the bridge to its former glory. The riverside will become a more pleasant and more sunny place, surrounded by office buildings, shopping centers, cafes, and restaurants.

To be honest, they really shouldn’t have covered it with that ugly overhead highway in the first place. At least they are now correcting their earlier mistake.

This 284-meter-tall building, co-developed by Mitsui Fudousan and Nomura Real Estate, will be one of the highlights of the redevelopment. It is still under construction, and yet, it is already dominating the Nihonbashi skyline. Anybody walking from Kanda towards Nihonbashi along the Chuo-dori Avenue will be welcomed by this building. It will not be the tallest building in Japan, but it will definitely be one of the most significant.

It’s scheduled to be finished by 2026, and it would be exciting to see how it would transform the area around the Nihonbashi bridge. The removal of the overhead highway will take more time, though maybe even a decade.

Maybe Nihonbashi will finally give Mitsubishi’s Marunouchi some good competition.