Where the name Tochomae comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
Tochomae means In Front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. But the modern station stands on land once known as Tsunohazu Village. The older name has several possible origins. One theory says the shape of the land resembled the notched end of an arrow. Another connects it to Watanabe Yohei, an early village headman who was reportedly known as Tsunohazu. Shinjuku City's historical account regards the latter explanation as plausible, though the origin remains uncertain.
Walk west from the station toward Shinjuku Central Park and the terrain gradually leads toward the Kanda River valley. Before the skyscrapers, this district contained the Juniso ponds, wooded land, and farmland around Kumano Shrine. Fields occupied the higher ground, while water shaped life in the lower areas.
During the Meiji period, the Yodobashi Water Purification Plant transformed the neighborhood. After its closure in 1965, large-scale redevelopment created Shinjuku's skyscraper district. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government moved here from Marunouchi in 1991. The subway station carries a modern name, but older names such as Tsunohazu still preserve the area's rural past.
→ Walk west from Tochomae Station through Shinjuku Central Park to Kumano Shrine. Continue toward the Kanda River to notice the descending terrain. Nearby names such as Tsunohazu Park and Tsunohazu Bridge preserve traces of the old village beneath the modern skyline.
Sources (in Japanese): 新宿区「角笛・淀橋・十二社の歴史と由来」, 東京都財務局「都庁舎雑学」
Before the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and surrounding skyscrapers, this was the site of the enormous Yodobashi Water Purification Plant. On December 1, 1898, treated water began flowing from the plant toward the Kanda and Nihonbashi districts. Drawing its supply from the Tamagawa Josui aqueduct, the facility marked the beginning of Tokyo's modern water distribution system. Reservoirs and filtration facilities occupied much of the land surrounding today's Tochomae Station.
To the west were the Juniso ponds and Kumano Shrine, once surrounded by teahouses and restaurants. Beyond them, the terrain descended toward the Kanda River. The district's geography combined the relatively high ground used by the waterworks, lower land around the ponds, and slopes leading toward the river valley.
The purification plant closed in 1965, releasing a vast tract of land for the Shinjuku subcenter development. Shinjuku Central Park opened in 1968, and the new Tokyo Metropolitan Government complex was completed in 1991. Where water once flowed through filtration basins, office workers and visitors now move between towers, roads, and public gardens.
→ Walk from Tokyo City Hall toward Shinjuku Central Park and cross the pedestrian bridge called Mizu-no-hashi, whose name refers to a waterworks pumping facility. Visit Kumano Shrine, associated with the former Juniso ponds, then follow the westward slope toward the Kanda River.
Sources (in Japanese): 東京都水道局「東京水道の日・淀橋浄水場の歴史」, 東京都都市整備局「都庁周辺施設の現況について」
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).