Arashiyama Station, a station on the Keifuku Electric Railroad in Kyoto affectionately known as Randen (Randen), was unveiled to the press ahead of its renovation on the 13th. The design was created by Yasumichi Morita, who also worked on the remodeling of the Isetan Shinjuku store. 11 years have passed since the first phase of renovations to the station building, which he carried out in 2002, and plans to attract customers to the area around the station have progressed smoothly. This time, the station concourse itself has been given a creative touch, with a design aimed at creating an "in-station" effect.
The renovation integrated the station with the surrounding area. The ticket gates that separated the town from the station were removed, and the area around the platform and tracks was turned into a "plaza" with benches and other amenities, creating a "small town with a tram stop" where anyone can freely wander and stay.
While the station's main west exit, renovated in 2002, featured 3,000 bamboo trees and a street of Kyoto's famous shops as the "Hannari Zone," the newly renovated concourse at the station's east exit has been redesigned as the "Hokkori Zone." Approximately 600 acrylic poles with LED-illuminated Yuzen designs, known as "Kimono Forest," stand in a forest, creating a fantastical landscape that unfolds from the train windows after sunset, adding to the entertainment value.
In addition, the concourse features a footbath from Arashiyama Onsen, a dragon by custom painter Masataka Kurashina at the "Dragon Atago Pond," named after Tenryu-ji Temple in front of the station, and a "Takizakura (Waterfall Cherry Blossoms) from Miharu Town, Fukushima," has also been planted in hopes of recovery from the earthquake disaster. New tenants in the north concourse include a Japanese tea cafe and bar from Wazuka Town, a producer of Uji tea, and Keifuku Electric Railway's John Int Venture, and "we hope to highlight the appeal of the Arashiyama area after sunset, which has not been well-received until now," says Hiroyuki Suzuki, Director of Business Promotion at Keifuku Electric Railway.
"I personally don't like the white, lit spaces of the public zones of Japanese stations, so for this renewal I made 'light,' my forte, the design theme. I have long felt the need for a station that foreign tourists can visit and that feels like Kyoto, and I hope it will become a landmark in Saga-Arashiyama, part of 'The Kyoto'," says Yasumichi Morita.
