A vast event space opened Wednesday in Tokyo's Shinjuku area, completely surrounding the base of the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building.
Called the Sankaku Hiroba, or triangular square, the event space features a glass roof about 25 meters high at its tallest point. It can accommodate up to 2,000 people, and contains a 564-inch 4K screen for public viewings and other events.
"Nishi-Shinjuku has become more of a business district, so this is the first step to make the area more lively on weekends again," said Takayuki Miyagawa, the head of Sumitomo Realty and Development Co.'s Shinjuku office, which owns the building.
The square also contains enough food and water for as many as 2,850 people for three days in the event of a disaster.
"We want to fulfill the dual roles of creating a lively area and helping in the event of a disaster," Miyagawa said.
The Shinjuku Sumitomo Building is nicknamed "the triangle building." It was built in 1974, and the surrounding plaza has become a place for business people and local residents to relax.
Renovations to update the aging building began in September 2017, at which time work also began to build the Sankaku Hiroba. The indoor public space is equipped with air conditioning.
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