In the Edo Period, the vicinity of Kyobashi bustled with many merchants and artisans as the Tokaido (a major road between Edo, present Tokyo, and Kyoto) ran through the area. The name Kyobashi (Kyoto’s “Kyo” and bridge “hashi, or bashi”) as it was the first bridge to cross when traveling from Nihonbashi that is the starting point of Tokaido to Kyoto.

In the Meiji and Taisho periods, Kyobashi developed as an area of merchants that connected Nihonbashi and Ginza. In 1959, the bridge from which the name Kyobashi was derived was taken down due to reclamation, and the Metropolitan Expressway 1 was built over it in 1962. Ever since then, Kyobashi, which is adjacent to Tokyo Station, Ginza, and Nihonbashi, has attracted many corporations and has been developed as a business district lined with office buildings. The commonly called Kotto-dori St. (antique street) that is Higashi Naka-dori St., on the other hand, where antique shops have been concentrated since before the war, is still lined with long-established shops, giving Kyobashi a unique atmosphere.

Kyobashi is a hybrid of tradition and culture handed down through the ages, and new urban developments.
Kyobashi Saiku will be one of the cores to play the role of enhancing the appeal of Kyobashi.