Tokyo Station is one of Japan's busiest train terminals.

It's known for its iconic red brick facade,

which faces out toward the Marunouchi business district

and its many high-rise office buildings.

But today, we visit the opposite side of the tracks,

the Yaesu Exit area, once called the station's "back entrance."

We'll explore its backstreets and alleyways...

and visit a cozy bar district.

Despite their proximity,

Yaesu and Marunouchi evolved in very different ways.

We'll trace the local history back hundreds of years,

long before Tokyo Station was built.

Today, we dive into Yaesu, the other gateway to Tokyo Station.

Yaesu borders Tokyo Station to the east.

You can walk from one end of the district to the other

in just about 15 minutes.

Hi, I'm Felicia. And today, I'm in the Yaesu area in front of Tokyo Station.

Now, many of you may recognize Tokyo Station

by its iconic red brick station building over at the Marunouchi side.

But today, I'm on the opposite side over here at Yaesu,

which is also a gateway to Tokyo Station,

but offers a vibe unique and distinct from the opposite counterpart.

So, let's go investigate more of Yaesu.

The gateway features a massive white awning

designed to evoke the sail of a ship.

In front of the station is a bus terminal

that links the city to the rest of Japan via express bus.

Visitors come and go throughout the day.

Yaesu itself is a business district

with offices belonging to everything from major corporations to startups.

There are also plenty of eateries and drinking spots

bustling with local businesspeople.

Along a central road that extends east from the station

is a monument that honors Yaesu's roots.

Looks European for sure, right?

This is a bust of Jan Joosten,

a Dutchman who lived in this area in the early 1600s.

He served as a diplomatic advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu,

the founder of the Edo Shogunate.

This man's name is Jan Joosten.

And it seems that's where "Yaesu" has actually derived from, his name.

Well, that's super surprising, right?

Especially during this time period... this area is named after this gentlemen.

Let's explore the side streets across from the station.

There are a lot of really narrow buildings here.

It's a really nice touch. I feel really relaxed in this area.

While the Marunouchi side is an area of high-rise offices,

Yaesu has many low and mid-rise buildings.

And there remain clusters of narrow backstreets with a traditional vibe.

Look at this, it looks just like a little house

and it's obviously been there for quite some time.

But, you know, the interesting thing is, Tokyo Station is just right there.

We continue on our stroll.

Look at the sign.

I wonder how long they've been using it.

What could this be?

Let's have a look.

There's a really nice fresh scent of straw.

This store specializes in traditional brooms made with natural straw.

These were originally developed as a tool for sweeping tatami mats.

- Hello.
- Welcome!

Nakamura Satoru is the owner.

I saw the sign in front and figured this shop has a long history.

How long have you been in business?

We were founded in 1830, during the late Edo period.

How many generations?

I'm the seventh generation owner.

Wow!

Nakamura's family has been crafting brooms here

since long before the construction of Tokyo Station.

- Try this one.
- Whoa, it's so light!

Lightweight and easy to use.

- Very little effort required.
- Yes!

The shop's handy, lightweight brooms are all woven by hand.

What's more, they're recognized as one of the traditional crafts of Tokyo.

I wasn't expecting there to be

an old business like this close to Tokyo Station.

Yes, it might seem odd now.

But between the 1600s and 1800s, this town was full of artisans.

Today it's become a business district.

But before it was a place where people made physical things.

To learn more about the local history, we head to Tokiwa Bridge,

just a three-minute walk north of Tokyo Station.

- Hello.
- Pleased to meet you.

Fukawa Toshiyuki is chairman of a local neighborhood association.

He's Yaesu born and raised.

Tokiwa Bridge was originally built with wood in the late 1500s,

then rebuilt in stone in 1877.

Over the years, it's undergone repairs and restorations

and is now Tokyo's oldest remaining stone bridge.

This bridge served as an entrance to the Edo Castle grounds.

Here?

The castle gates were right there.

Across the bridge are the ruins of the main gate along Edo Castle's outer wall.

The castle served as the center of political power in Japan

between the 17th and 19th centuries.

This was the entrance to the castle.

The area beyond the gate was home to feudal lords and high-ranking officials.

The townspeople lived on this side of the gate.

Let's compare a map of the Tokyo Station area today

with a map of the area in the 17th century.

The highlighted area represents the Edo Castle grounds,

which were surrounded by a moat.

We can see that the modern-day Marunouchi area

was once home to mansions belonging to feudal lords.

Meanwhile, Yaesu sat outside the castle grounds.

The neighborhoods in this area were home to the common townspeople,

specifically, artisans and merchants.

The patchwork of small plots led to densely packed streets,

which is why so many smaller buildings remain in Yaesu today.

So Marunouchi and Yaesu have always had different vibes.

Yes, both then and now.

The Yaesu side still has atmospheric alleys.

You can find long-standing shops and restaurants.

Ten years ago, there were still many wooden houses, too.

There's another historic site near Tokiwa Bridge

that provides a window into the lives of the old townspeople.

- Here it is.
- What is this?

- A stone marker for lost children.
- Lost children?

When a child went missing,

parents would post a piece of paper asking for help on this marker.

This roughly 170-year-old stone pillar

essentially served as a bulletin board for the general public.

Parents would post descriptions on one side,

and those who'd found lost children would post descriptions on the other.

Back in those days, if a child got lost among the busy, crowded streets,

there was a very real chance

they could end up separated from their parents indefinitely.

- There was a lot of traffic.
- Exactly.

In the morning there was a fish market nearby.

At night, the geisha quarters.

People passing through day and night.

So children would become lost.

But if you put up a notice here, you could find your child.

This was kind of like their version of the internet.

In the late 1800s, Japan began to modernize.

Tokyo Station was completed in 1914.

Buildings started popping up in the Marunouchi area,

transforming it into a business district.

The Yaesu Exit was built 15 years later.

Here we can see the red brick Marunouchi station building in the background,

and the significantly smaller Yaesu station building in the foreground.

At the bottom right is the outer moat of Edo Castle,

which ran along this side of the station.

Fukawa says he remembers using the old station when he was younger.

This major street used to be the outer moat.

Did you have to cross it?

There was a bridge.

We'd enter here, make our way to the other side,

then climb the wooden steps up to the train platforms.

This was the back entrance. The other side was the front.

It wasn't until 1954, 40 years after the station first opened,

that a full-scale gateway building was built on the Yaesu side.

It was six stories high and included commercial facilities.

Later, with the Tokyo Olympics and the start of bullet train services in 1964,

Tokyo Station became busier than ever.

More and more companies set up offices around the Yaesu Exit,

which led to an influx of businesspeople.

At night, the area became a bustling nightlife hub.

I used to run a business over there.

It was right here.

What kind?

- An "unagi" restaurant.
- Unagi! How wonderful.

Fukawa took over the freshwater eel restaurant

his father had opened here in Yaesu about 100 years ago.

He garnered fame as the head chef of the beloved establishment,

but nine years ago, he decided the time was right to close up shop.

He says Yaesu has a rich history as a nightlife district.

There were geisha in this neighborhood.

They'd dance and sing songs and entertain guests.

Between the late 18th and mid 20th centuries,

Yaesu and the surrounding areas were lined

with high-end Japanese-style restaurants

where many geisha worked.

The time-honored establishments along these alleys

are a living link to that era.

It turns out that modern-day Yaesu is steeped in the townspeople's culture

that was cultivated outside the Edo Castle gates.

Traditions fade with the times.

But my hope is that we can pass on what our ancestors built

so that more young people can experience Yaesu's charm.

Next, we explore a different side of Yaesu.

There are staircases throughout the area that lead underground.

Let's go.

I wonder what's in here? I heard there's a lot of shops. Let's have a look.

It's bright. I do see some shops.

Look at that. This is a really long walkway.

This corridor just stretches so far, I can't even see the end.

We've entered an underground shopping mall

that's directly connected to Tokyo Station.

It's a network of corridors, the longest stretching roughly 400 meters.

They're lined with about 180 shops and eateries.

Drugstore. And a clothing store.

Here, we have a shoe shine.

And this looks like clothing and bag repair.

It looks like the shops in here are all geared for lifestyle goods.

Things that you need in your everyday life.

Despite being right next to Tokyo Station,

you won't find much tourist traffic down here.

Instead, the focus is on everyday products and services.

Hello!

Tsuneno Aika is a PR representative for the firm

that manages this shopping mall.

When did this mall open?

We opened in 1965 and expanded to our current size in 1969.

You've been here a long time!

Local office workers and businesspeople make up the bulk of our customers.

Tsuneno takes us to a spot

that's long been a favorite among local businesspeople.

Wow, nice atmosphere!

This old-school coffee shop has been in business since 1970.

They specialize in siphon brewing.

It's a quiet underground hideaway where local workers can take a load off.

Felicia orders their most popular dish.

The "morning set," a simple breakfast of toast and a boiled egg,

has been on the menu since the beginning.

It's helped countless Yaesu businesspeople get their day started off right.

It's so thick!

Tasty!

And thick!

Yes, nice and thick!

It's filling and gives you a boost.

Yes, so you're ready for work!

Tsuneno says there's something else here

that can tell us more about the history of this shopping mall.

Look up.

Notice anything about the ceiling?

It looks kind of slanted.

Yes, exactly.

That incline is actually a slope that belongs to the parking lot.

There are cars passing overhead? Interesting!

Please.

We enter a cavernous space.

Wow, it's so big!

This is the Yaesu underground parking lot.

With 774 spaces,

this is one of the largest parking facilities in central Tokyo.

Here's one of the slopes where cars come in and out.

The coffee shop we just visited sits directly underneath.

Many people park their car here before riding the bullet train.

We're located conveniently close to Tokyo Station.

So we get a lot of traffic.

The plans for an underground parking lot

were developed around the mid 1950s.

At the time, the rapid increase of cars in Tokyo

had made traffic congestion a major problem.

And the lack of adequate parking facilities

meant streets were lined with parked cars.

The proposed solution was to build parking lots underground,

which would allow for one to be built right by the Yaesu Exit.

And so, a construction project of unprecedented scale

was carried out in front of the station.

In April 1965, the lot opened for business.

The underground shopping mall opened its doors just two months later.

It turns out it was built to help

offset the enormous construction cost of the parking facility.

Fast forward 60 years.

There remain a handful of businesses that have been here since the beginning.

This curry shop is one of them.

Look at this price. It's 380 yen for all of this.

That's a crazy price for being so close to Tokyo Station.

- Here you go.
- Thank you!

This dish is served between 2 and 7 PM.

Curry rice, deep fried potato "korokke," and pickles, for just 380 yen.

It's like a taste from my mom's kitchen. Really nice.

This place caters to a loyal group of regulars

who come in practically every day.

They eat in silence and are in and out in just ten minutes.

- This price at this location? Wow!
- Thank you.

- Is it tough to keep prices down?
- It is. But...

...it helps maintain Yaesu's down-to-earth vibe.

Our customers are on the go.

They need something quick and cheap.

I see us as a kind of cafeteria for local workers.

We move on to another shop that's been here since the start.

It's a liquor store famous for its selection of rare whiskies

from around the world.

Managing director Osawa Shusaku has a reputation as a drink connoisseur.

I started working here part time in my freshman year of high school

and have been here ever since.

You must really love this place!

Yes.

Thing is, down here we don't get much sun.

So I get sunburned easily!

Osawa shows us a unique feature of their displays.

You can pull this out.

Pull-out panels were built into the shelves to allow customers

to sample liquors along the narrow aisles of this underground space.

And Osawa says there's something else.

This isn't a standing bar. We can't have rowdy groups.

So we made these, but maybe it's a bit unclear...

No, I get it!

Five minutes or less. Understood!

The wide selection and convenient location

has made this a popular spot for locals and visitors alike.

Tokyo Station is huge.

You can almost think of Marunouchi and Yaesu as separate stations.

The Yaesu side has an intimate, friendly vibe.

It's cozy and warm.

If we can focus on promoting those aspects,

we can continue to thrive.

Although Yaesu still retains its down-to-earth charm,

new high-rise buildings are sprouting up in the area.

There's a lot of major construction going on.

Large-scale redevelopment is currently underway,

including a series of office buildings intended for multinational corporations.

The skyline will look very different in the not-so-distant future.

Night falls on Yaesu.

The narrow alleys between buildings start to come to life.

It's a really nice atmosphere, isn't it?

These backstreets are lined with small, privately owned Japanese-style pubs,

which offer local businesspeople a place to unwind after a long day.

Yaesu's bustling nightlife scene is a link to its past.

This looks good.

This pub, which opened in 1939, is one of the oldest in the area.

It's run by two generations of the Kitajima family.

- So many sake options!
- We have 41 varieties.

They boast a wide variety of sake from across the country.

The selection is by design.

Since they first opened,

they've endeavored to give customers a taste of home to raise their spirits.

It's a welcoming atmosphere, even if you come alone.

I just met these folks, and we're already having the best time.

That's the charm of this place.

It seems Felicia has hit it off with these businessmen.

- There used to be more places like this.
- Yes, many more!

- Thankfully this place remains.
- I don't know what I'd do without it!

Looks great!

Watch out, it's hot!

Kitajima Mitsuko looks after customers with a winning smile.

For almost half a century,

she's spent her nights running to and fro between the kitchen and the counter.

Every day I'm inspired to give it my all.

This town is full of big buildings.

Among them is our tiny pub.

So I'm determined to persevere. To not give up.

I'm grateful that we can soon expect more people and businesses.

But Yaesu's charm is its small, long-standing establishments.

That motivates me to keep going.

Yaesu has long had a rich history of popular culture

and I can't help but to feel it's that history that serves as the foundation

to that warm and welcoming feeling created by the people of this town.

So even as development continues and as new buildings emerge,

that legacy of Yaesu, the charming gateway to Tokyo, will continue to endure.