Tokyo’s government expects to attract 4.2 million visitors a year to the planned 1.7-hectare Senkyaku Banrai complex in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, which will include a seven-storey hot bath tower.
Expected to open in March 2016 – in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – the complex will consist of four buildings. There will be the Manpuku Ichiba food court for 1,000 customers, a multilingual tourist information centre, the Tsukiji fish market and the open-air bath facility.
Within walking distance of the Olympic athletes’ village and other venues preparing for the Olympics, the Onyoku-to hot bath tower will feature a large open-air bath overlooking Tokyo Bay, a bedrock bath and accommodation.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government named two business operators for the bath tower, Kiyomura – operator of the Sushi-Zanmai sushi chain and Daiwa House Industry, a major housing company.
The companies will rent the land from the city for JP¥136.7m (US$1.3m, €0.9m, £0.7m) a year on a fixed-term lease extending 30 years.
In addition to the top floor bath, the other six floors of the building will have 10,200sq m (109,791sq ft) of floor space and it will be accessible via the Shijo-mae station on the Yurikamome train infrastructure which is being extended in preparation for the Olympics.
Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market – known as the Tsukiji fish market – is being relocated from Cho Ward to the Toyosu area to accompany the complex and is expected to be 40 per cent larger at its new location.
