mAAch ecute Kanda Manseibashi

architechu

Hidden jewels in the subway

I don't know what kind of history Tokyo's subway has. I can only guess what kind of commercial structure it has based on its various lines, but I don't know the story behind it. However, one thing that I can observe as a spatial designer is that the underground spaces of various subway stations in Tokyo are well utilized in different ways.

This is the story that today's story revolves around. Today's space is a remodeled complex cultural space near Akihabara Station in Tokyo. While it may be interesting to travelers because it houses a Blue Bottle takeout shop, what is more interesting is the remodeling of the underground subway space for a complex cultural space.

The structure of underground spaces commonly seen in Korea is not the same. The subway history can be divided into three categories: underground history, aboveground history, and ground-level history. The type of subway station is classified based on whether it goes down from aboveground, comes up from below, or directly connects with the ground. The history of the subway lines here is not well known, but it is speculated that they were made with narrow intervals between the floors in order to create a wide variety of lines. In Korea, the first subway line was created with a specific height, and as the subway lines increased in number, they went further underground. This is why it may take a long time to transfer at stations like Sindang, where Line 2 and Line 6 have a significant height difference. The same goes for Jamsil Station with Lines 2 and 8. Because underground tracks need to be laid, it is not an easy task to create paths from lower places to higher places.

Returning to the main topic, when it comes to aboveground and underground history in Korea, the basic image that comes to mind is a very large structure supporting the subway tracks. Therefore, instead of creating spaces within the underground spaces, it is more common to build new spaces under the existing subway tracks. Especially, five years ago, there were not many projects dealing with such idle underground spaces in this way. However, nowadays even in Korea, various facilities are being provided by utilizing the underground spaces of the subway. Today's space is a remodeled space of the Akihabara aboveground and underground history in Japan, and the difference from Korea is that it has a relatively lower ceiling height and uses the gaps to create spaces.

Because of this, you can feel a slight shake and noise when the train passes by. In particular, without touching the old brick arches separately, the spaces are built to fit their original forms, making the space appear to have a very historic feel. The complex cultural space called maach here occupies each space without disturbing the arches, allowing you to enjoy a unified image of a well-organized square-like space when looking from the outside.

The space introduced today uses Blue Bottle as the main photo, but it also includes a leather workshop, a shop displaying design products, a restaurant where you can enjoy a meal while watching the subway passing by above the ground, and a small exhibition and library explaining the old history, as well as a reading room available for space rental.

What makes this space particularly charming is that when you go inside, you will find that the space is much larger and is designed like a maze compared to what you see on the outside. Furthermore, if you go out onto the terrace that stretches across this large space, you can enjoy a romantic view of the river. This design example of utilizing abandoned subway underground space can be considered unique.

If it had been a regular bridge, it would have shown scenes of city square and riverside terrace, but due to the subway passing overhead, scenes to enjoy on the ground level are added, and the strange noise felt in all spaces makes it a unique place.

This is the space <maachecute> in Akihabara, Tokyo, where the subway passes through, as well as <Blue Bottle Coffee Kanda>.

📍 Location | 1 Chome-25-4 Kandasudacho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0041, Japan
⏰ Business Hours | 08:00 - 19:00 [Sunday 09:00 - 19:30]
📝 Menu attached.

PS. Although it is a takeout shop, there are a few seats outside. Please be aware of this to avoid any inconvenience in using the space.