Tobu Railway Asakusa Station/Tobu Nikko Station Renewal

This is a renewal project for Asakusa Station on the Tobu Skytree Line and Tobu Nikko Station on the Tobu Nikko Line, coinciding with the start of operation of Tobu Railway's new limited express train, Spacia X.

The concept of this project is "connecting," and the aim is to create a connection between the space from before boarding the Spacia X to after disembarking. The concept of "connecting" also has multiple meanings, such as "connecting" to the journey to Nikko, "connecting" the old and new station building concept design, "connecting" the history and culture of the area along the line to the future, and "connecting" the technology and thoughts of the creators to the users.
 

The station concept design embodies the concept of "connecting," and actively uses materials from Tochigi Prefecture and incorporates motifs from the nature, history, and culture of Nikko into concept design, aiming to promote "environmental conservation" and "cultural dissemination" in areas along the line as new initiatives for Tobu Railway. In order to communicate these initiatives, we were also in charge of producing graphic posters with the theme of "connecting," which were displays inside Asakusa Station and Tobu Nikko Station.

The client requested that the station building be designed to evoke the sense of anticipation and lingering excitement about the journey, while also promoting environmental conservation and the culture of the areas along the line as a new initiative for Tobu Railway.

Renovated areas
・ Asakusa Station: Platform 5, information counter, wall around ticket gates, etc.
・ Tobu Nikko Station: Atrium outside the ticket gates, waiting area, etc.

■Station building renovation
At Asakusa Station, platform 5, where the Spacia X departs, and the concourse are concept design to make extensive use of wood-grain decorations and lighting that evoke the nature and grandeur of Nikko. At Tobu Nikko Station, the atrium of the concourse outside the ticket gates is decorated with brass-like and wood-grain decorations that express the splendor of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, connecting the two stations to create a unified space. In addition, both stations use "thinned wood" from forests owned by Tobu Railway, as well as "local materials" such as Oya stone and Ashino stone from Tochigi Prefecture for interiors and benches, aiming to protect the environment and promote the culture of the areas along the lines.
■Graphic poster
For the renewal, we created a poster to convey the process by which the thinned wood and local wood used for interiors decoration and benches of the station building are processed by artisans from a part of nature to become part of the station building. We took photos of the felling of thinned wood in forests owned by Tobu Railway, the processing by artisans, the mining of Oya stone and Ashino stone, which are local materials, and the processing at the factory, and combined them with a logo and text based on the concept of "connecting" to create a poster to visually convey Tobu Railway's efforts. The poster displays in the 5th platform of Asakusa Station and in a newly established gallery above the atrium of Tobu Nikko Station, so that people can enjoy it while waiting for the train. We received cooperation from photographer Shinnosuke Yoshimori for the photography and graphic designer Toru Aoyagi, who lives in Tochigi Prefecture, for the graphics.