Turning our beloved city into a “theater city” where everyone plays the leading role

- Mayor Takano is a true Ikebukuro native. The elementary school I graduated from is also about a 10-minute walk from Riviera Tokyo.

Takano: 2020 will mark the 70th anniversary of the opening of Hakuunkaku, so it means that we have been neighbors for quite some time. I also remember well when Hakuunkaku was built. At the time, just after the war, that area was a fun playground for children in our neighborhood.
Even though it's a playground, it doesn't mean there was a park equipped with play equipment like swings and jungle gyms. It may be hard to imagine from its current appearance, but in those days Ikebukuro, which had become a burnt-out area, had a huge market due to food shortages after the war, stretching from the station to the Futaba police box area. A short distance from the station, there were still fields scattered around, and there were far fewer people in the residential area lined with small houses, so we ran around the fields until dusk.

Takano: One day, Hakuunkaku appeared in such a place. To the eyes of a naughty child, it seemed as if a magnificent castle had appeared out of nowhere. Was that a two-story building?

- It was a three-story wooden building.

Takano: It was a really splendid building, wasn't it? We children couldn't even step inside. I thought that Hakuunkaku was a place where important adults could have a feast.
My university is also a Rikkyo school, so every day I would pass by Hakuunkaku and daydream, ``Someday, I would like to be able to use this place for entertainment.'' I'm not the only one. Most Rikkyo University students back then probably thought that way. This was a time when working on a path of high economic growth and rising through the ranks in an organization was considered to be the most rewarding thing.
Ikebukuro developed as one of Tokyo's leading downtown areas based on the values ​​of the times. It was energetic, but on the other hand, the streets were cluttered, and before I knew it, it started to feel chaotic. I have witnessed such changes with my own eyes. As someone who lives in this city.

- After graduating from university, Mr. Takano ran a used bookstore in front of Ikebukuro Station. When he was 45 years old, he entered politics and served two terms as a Toshima ward assembly member and a third term as a Tokyo metropolitan assembly member. He was first elected as mayor of Toshima Ward in 2, and since then has served six consecutive terms of 3 years, the longest in Tokyo's history.
In recent years, efforts have been made to restore Tokiwa-so, a wooden apartment building in the ward where early manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka lived (Tokiwa-so Manga Museum completed in March 2020), and to promote cultural exchange with China and South Korea (Tokiwa-so Manga Museum was completed in March 3). He is known for taking the lead in renewing the image of Toshima Ward by promoting cultural projects such as the Asian Cultural City), the redevelopment of Ikebukuro West Exit Park, and the opening of the Municipal Arts and Culture Theater.

Takano: Cities are living things, so I think they can have many different expressions. The colorful neon lights shining in abundance are also a characteristic of the city, and can be seen as an attraction.
However, as I lived in a city that was developing and changing in this way, I felt a strong desire to make this city a little bit better because it was the city where I was born and raised. What is attractive to people visiting from outside the city and what it is to people who live inside the city are not necessarily the same.
With the encouragement and long-term support of the people of the city who share my thoughts, I became a member of the Diet. My aspiration of ``I want to do something because it's my town'' remains the same, both when I was a ward councilor and metropolitan assemblyman, and even now when I serve as ward mayor.

- In 2014, Toshima Ward was the only city among Tokyo's 23 wards to be included in the list of "cities at risk of disappearing" announced by the Japan Creation Council. This news was received with shock.

Takano: Looking at the bustle around Ikebukuro Station, it's hard to believe that the city has suddenly disappeared, but this index is based on demographic predictions such as ``the number of female residents of childbearing age will be halved.''
Toshima Ward, which has a transportation hub called Ikebukuro Station, is a city where many people pass through. The people who live on the streets go home after completing their errands. In particular, Ikebukuro has become more and more convenient with the development of station buildings and the expansion of commercial facilities. There is also the issue of ``. This wasn't the place to live, start a family, give birth and raise children - the problem was clear.
In order to maintain the population in the future, let's create a city where women of the child-rearing generation can settle down. If we can create a city that is friendly to women, it will become a city that is comfortable for everyone to live in, including children, the elderly, and foreigners.
With this in mind, we created a countermeasures department and implemented various measures in quick succession. Crime prevention measures, housing supply support, new licensed daycare centers, learning support for single-parent families, park maintenance...whatever comes to mind, we can do it one after another as long as the budget allows.
Because it was a process of trial and error, we were sometimes scolded for saying, ``I've changed my schedule.'' However, with the cooperation of many kind-hearted people, including people involved in each shopping district, we implemented a project with the participation of residents. These efforts were successful, and in 2018 the population of the ward exceeded 40 for the first time in 29 years. The crisis of the possibility of extinction has been resolved for the time being.

- The Takano Ward government aims to make Takano a city of international art and culture, and has established cultural hubs such as Hareza Ikebukuro, and is working diligently to create a city where everyone can enjoy culture and art through music, theater, and musicals. .

Takano: Last November, ``Hareza Ikebukuro'' opened at the east exit of Ikebukuro, where you can enjoy everything from Takarazuka and Kabuki to anime, and ``Global Ring'', where you can enjoy classical music outdoors, opened at the west exit of Ikebukuro.
The world's first-class cities have first-class halls. It is a landmark hall that draws outsiders to the city and gives residents a sense of pride. Thanks to you, Toshima Ward has also been enriched with boxes.
The important thing going forward is acquiring rich content. In addition to supporting young musicians, private initiatives such as Riviera Tokyo, which holds lunchtime concerts every month to create opportunities for residents to easily go to concerts, are part of Toshima City's ``International Arts and Culture Initiative.'' We are grateful for the contribution we make to the city. One of my dreams right now is for top artists from all over the world to come and say, ``I want to perform in Toshima Ward,'' and ``I want the people of Toshima Ward to see it.''
Because I have this dream that I can share with the residents of the ward, I can continue to do my best. That's what I think.
Riviera Tokyo, which has continued to be a good corporate citizen for the past 70 years, is also a landmark of our city. Even today, when the name has been changed to Riviera Tokyo, they have stubbornly maintained the same elegance, taste, and hospitality as they did in the days of Hakuunkaku, and this is what underpins Ikebukuro's grand design.
I hope we can continue to walk together. As a member of the city I love.