Former Tokyo fish market to be redeveloped with multipurpose stadium

The site of Tokyo’s former Tsukiji fish market is to be redeveloped as a commercial and residential complex and transport hub with a 50,000-seat multipurpose stadium at its heart.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has selected real estate giant Mitsui Fudosan to lead the ¥900 billion (US5.81 billion) project the redevelopment of the 19-hectare site which has been vacant since the fish market closed and relocated to the more spacious Toyosu district in 2018.

Owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, tender documents for the transformation of the site were first published in November 2020, with proposals from applicants accepted in August last year before being reviewed by a screening committee.

Mitsui Fudosan has been successful with its ‘One Park x One Town’ vision, where it will be joined in a three-pronged operating company by Toyota Fudosan and Yomiuri Shimbun Group. Other companies participating in the development consortium include Kajima and Taisei Corporation.

Centred on the stadium component, the project has three main functions - ‘wellness innovation’, ‘food, experiences and living’, and ‘guests and hospitality’. The complex intends to showcase and develop Japan’s food, culture and art while also enhancing the appeal of Tokyo as a tourist city by leveraging the history and characteristics of Tsukiji.

Utilising surrounding resources such as the Hama Rikyu Gardens and the Sumida River, Mitsui Fudosan advised that the project aims to create one of the most open spaces in the Japanese capital, totalling approximately 10 hectares, creating a space where people can gather, relax and enjoy a variety of activities.

At the heart of the project, the consortium has plans to build the all-weather stadium.

Beyond a basic capacity of 50,000 its planned modular design will enable it to be scaled up and down between capacities of 20,000 and 57,000, depending on the event.

A major ‘next gen’ transportation hub will also be incorporated utilising land, sea and air mobility. This will include a port aimed at the practical application of flying cars. The whole scheme aims to achieve carbon neutrality using cutting-edge environmental technology, and various environmentally friendly initiatives.

A total of nine buildings will be developed. Along with the stadium, there are plans for a life science/commercial complex; MICE facilities and a high-quality large-scale hotel and residential facilities; a food hall; and a theatre hall with a capacity of around 1,200.

It is expected to host the likes of baseball, rugby, football, American football, basketball, esports, MICE events and concerts and other entertainment offerings. Mitsui Fudosan has said it will aim to create an “optimal viewing and experience environment by changing the scene, and use cutting-edge digital technology and sound and production equipment to provide the best sense of presence, exhilaration, and immersion”.

Most of the facilities, including the stadium, are expected to be completed in the 2032 financial year, with the entire project scheduled to be finished in 2038.

Images show concepts for the redevelopment of Tokyo’s former Tsukiji fish market. Credit: Mitsui Fudosan.