Information Exploring Marunouchi, Home to Mitsubishi Corporation’s Head Office
Tokyo’s Marunouchi is one of Japan’s core business districts. Mitsubishi Corporation has been headquartered here since its founding and has grown its business from this location over the years. In this article, we introduce a walking route that offers an enjoyable way to experience the history of the area.
Starting Our Walk at Mitsubishi Shoji Building
Mitsubishi Shoji Building, where Mitsubishi Corporation is headquartered, was completed in March 2006. The building has 21 floors above ground and three basement levels, and is home to employees from a number of different departments and Business Groups.
A Closer Look
Mitsubishi Corporation’s offices were completely renovated in fall 2023. The offices now use a “free-address” (hot-desking) system that allows employees to choose where they work, and feature a variety of meeting spaces designed to encourage a free and open exchange of ideas. Take a look at the video below for a glimpse inside. (Japanese only)
Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo
Art and Architecture in the Heart of the City
From the Mitsubishi Shoji Building, walk along Marunouchi Nakadori Ave. toward Yurakucho and continue into Ichigokan Square, where the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo comes into view. The red-brick building is a reconstruction of the Mitsubishi Ichigokan, Mitsubishi’s first office building in Marunouchi, built in 1894 based on a design by British architect Josiah Conder. Recreated in 2009 as faithfully as possible to the original, it stands on the site of the old Mitsubishi Shoji Building, which was replaced as part of the redevelopment of Marunouchi. The museum houses a collection focused on late 19th-century Western art, including works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and is also known for its special exhibitions.
Also at the site is Café 1894, a museum cafe and bar established in a reconstructed space that once served as the banking hall of Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha. With its lofty ceiling and stately pillars, it offers a classical yet airy atmosphere – an ideal spot to relax after enjoying the art.
A Closer Look
Marunouchi Park Building
Adjacent to the museum is Marunouchi Park Building, which is home to a number of businesses, including part of Mitsubishi Corporation’s head office.
Seikado Bunko Art Museum
A Treasure Trove of East Asian Classical Texts and Antiquities
Next, head to the Seikado Bunko Art Museum, located inside the Meiji Seimei Kan. During the Meiji era (1868–1912), as Japan actively embraced Western culture, Yanosuke Iwasaki, Mitsubishi’s second president, grew concerned that important works of East Asian cultural heritage might be scattered or lost and began collecting them. His eldest son, Koyata, Mitsubishi’s fourth president, later expanded the collection, which today comprises some 200,000 classical texts from East Asia and 6,500 works of Asian art, including 7 National Treasures and 84 Important Cultural Properties.
At the time, Yanosuke dreamed of building a museum in the Marunouchi business district and commissioned British architect Josiah Conder to design it. Although the plan was never realized, the gallery was relocated from Setagaya to Marunouchi in 2022, bringing Yanosuke’s vision to fruition more than a century later.
231 PLACE
Where Coffee and Flowers Inspire Consciousness to Bloom
A fitting final stop on your tour is 231 PLACE (“Ni-San-Ichi” Place), a hub for information sharing located in the Mitsubishi Shoji Building. Taking its name from its address (2-3-1 Marunouchi), 231 PLACE is based on the concept of “Bloom Conscious – a space where new awareness blossoms in visitors.” It is a place to experience, learn, and connect.
The first floor is home to a cafe, imperfect MARUNOUCHI ROASTERY, and a flower shop, LORANS MARUNOUCHI. On the second floor is 231 GALLERY, a public space where visitors can enjoy items purchased downstairs while engaging with a variety of content centered on the “Bloom Conscious” theme, including initiatives supported by Mitsubishi Corporation.
