(Voice actor) Mr.Chris Koprowski

Tokyo Station is the terminal that serves as the gateway to Tokyo. All the shinkansen (bullet trains) depart from there, connecting all areas of Japan. The major railroads of Japan start from there as well. When Tokyo Station opened in 1914, the Marunouchi area was an undeveloped field. However, since it was built right in front of the Imperial palace, it came to be regarded as the station symbolizing Japan. Its Western-style brick building attracted public attention. It was the station which foreign VIPs used when they visited the Imperial palace, as well as Japanese politicians. It had to be a masterpiece using the best available technologies of design and architecture in order to present Japan to the world. That is why Tokyo Station was built to be elegant, yet sturdy. Numerous incidents took place there. One of the biggest among them was the assassination in 1921 of Takashi Hara, the prime minister at the time. Such occurrences testify to its being a central station for Japan. Tokyo Station, with its sturdiness, has saved the people of Tokyo twice in the past. The first time was in 1923, a few years after its opening. The Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo on September 1st of that year. Tokyo was devastated by this disaster that victimized over one hundred and five thousand people. Most of the damage in Tokyo was caused by large fires which broke out following the earthquake, rather than by the earthquake itself. But Tokyo Station survived the fire, since it was constructed by steel frames and the hard effort of the station workers. It hosted the victims as an evacuation shelter for a while and saved many lives. It played a large role during the reconstruction phase of the metropolis too, as the terminal station for transportation of people and goods. After the reconstruction, it continued to serve as the gateway to Tokyo when national guests and international stars arrived. When Charles Chaplin came to Japan in 1932, forty thousand people rushed there to get a glimpse of him. The second time it saved Tokyo was during the Second World War. Tokyo was severely damaged by air raids. Many Japanese cities were destroyed by air raids, causing many casualties. Among them, Tokyo was raided the most by far with around 300 raids, destroying many buildings. But Tokyo Station miraculously remained standing. The roof and such had been blown away, but it was in working condition. The reconstruction of Japan, which had become a burnt-out ruin, was expedited by the fact that the trains were running in Tokyo. And more than anything, that became the hope and pride of people recovering from the war.