The Phantom of the Underground Mall and the Chalk Pavilion - The Decisions of the Merchants of Taisho Shinjuku

The Phantom of the Underground Mall and the Chalk Pavilion - The Decisions of the Merchants of Taisho Shinjuku

In the Taisho era (1912-1926), Shinjuku was just an extension of Yotsuya, but with the development of the railroad network and the influx of population, it was gradually showing signs of urbanization. In the midst of this situation, a rumor spread that a large underground shopping arcade was to be built, and the shopkeepers above ground felt a strong sense of crisis as a threat to their own businesses. At the time, department stores were putting pressure on existing stores in Ginza, and the people of Shinjuku saw the shadow of the department store as a threat to their own business. The merchants gathered together and said, "This is serious" and "We must think of countermeasures," and the meeting became heated. The exchanges are like a conversational drama, conveying the breath of the people at the turning point of the times.

Eventually, after much discussion, they came to the decision to bring in a new type of entertainment and built the Musashinokan, a movie theater housed in a three-story chalk building. The Musashinokan was the only modern building in Shinjuku at the time and became the public face of the city, attracting people with its active photography and live narrators. The Musashinokan was not merely a commercial countermeasure, but a symbolic event that helped Shinjuku become a center of culture and entertainment. The uneasiness brought about by the illusion of a "big underground shopping district" became a driving force that united the community and opened the way to the future of the city.