Old Shimbashi Station (also spelt Shinbashi) was the original terminus of Japan’s first railway. The station was built in the late 1800s but was later lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. After the quake, the area was repurposed as a goods yard, and the railway line was moved west to its current location, where the modern Shimbashi Station now stands.
Old Shimbashi Station (also spelt Shinbashi) was the original terminus of Japan’s first railway. The station was built in the late 1800s but was later lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. After the quake, the area was repurposed as a goods yard, and the railway line was moved west to its current location, where the modern Shimbashi Station now stands.
In the 1990s, the area around the original station was transformed into a business district known as Shio-Site, and a replica of Old Shimbashi Station was built on the site of the original. The station now houses a café and museum showcasing artifacts and the history of Japan’s early railways. Some of these artifacts were unearthed during an archaeological dig at the site. Viewing windows in the floor allow visitors to glimpse the foundations of the original station building.
Old Shimbashi Station is nestled among the skyscrapers of Shiodome and sits next to another great free exhibit, the Panasonic Living Showroom.
Old Shimbashi Station is a short walk east of the modern Shimbashi Station on the JR Yamanote Line or north of Shiodome Station on the Yurikamome Line (U02) and the Toei Oedo Line (E19).
