Photo/Illutration The building housing the headquarters of Dentsu Group Inc. in Tokyo's Minato Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In the late Meiji Era (1868-1912), a city block consisting entirely of Western-style buildings sprang up in Tokyo's Marunouchi district.

A former site of the Imperial Japanese Army's barracks and parade grounds, the property was acquired and developed by Mitsubishi (present-day Mitsubishi Group), which filled it with a cluster of its numbered office buildings, named "1-go kan" (Building No. 1), "2-go kan" (Building No. 2), and so on.

The block earned the nickname of "Iccho Rondon" (London Street) for resembling a scaled-down London scene. The site must have created quite a sensation among Japanese people at the time.

During the ensuing Taisho Era (1912-1926), another cluster of buildings appeared in front of nearby Tokyo Station. This block was called "Iccho Nyuyoku" (New York Street).

"There are 10,500 people working in Marunouchi, where electric candles burn all night, with incessant automobile traffic outside," wrote newspaper reporter Soun Yada (1882-1961).

Tokyo's central business district continued to expand after World War II and so has the daytime population of office workers.

But changes have come with the spread of telework amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The media recently reported that advertising giant Dentsu Group Inc. is considering selling its headquarters building in Tokyo's Shiodome district.

Only about 20 percent of its employees are still working in the building. The company will continue renting space in the building after selling it, but it intends to occupy only about 50 percent of the total floor space.

Office space downsizing appears to be a prevalent trend among businesses now and office vacancy rates are creeping up--not only in Tokyo, but around the nation.

It appears that the office has become a place one "stops by" only when necessary, no longer the destination of one's daily commute.

The "doughnut effect" refers to the hollowing of city centers as people migrate to the suburbs. Perhaps places of work are now becoming that doughnut.

From communicating with business partners to attending company meetings and even chatting with colleagues, everything is being done from home. To make a pun on Iccho Rondon or Iccho Nyuyoku, what we've got is "Isshitsu Marunouchi" (Marunouchi Room).

It is important--but not easy--to not slack off, but also not to overwork, either.

One thing I definitely want to avoid is keeping the electric candle burning all night in my home office.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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