Bashamichi Station Concourse

Passengers who get off the train at Bashamichi Station, Yokohama, may notice an unusual assortment of antiques covering the brick wall in its concourse.

The display includes vault doors, safe deposit boxes, heating radiators, a sectional boiler, a lattice door, and even segments of handrails from a staircase. An information plaque accompanies the exhibit, detailing the previous lives of each artifact.

Most of the items on display come from the annex building of the Bank of Yokohama, which was built in 1929 above what’s now the Bashamichi Station. The building still stands today, though it now serves as the Yokohama Creative City Center, an event space for art exhibitions and activities.

The sectional boiler, however, was taken from the Bashamichi Ōtsu Building, built in 1936. The boiler itself dates back to 1960 and had been in use for nearly 40 years.

This exhibit was not just curated to preserve these antique items, but also to embody the larger concept of the station. Situated between the modern Minato-Mirai district and the historic Yokohama area, Bashamichi Station was designed to evoke both the future and the past.

The exhibit saves room for future history; vacant spaces on the concourse wall await items from buildings in Yokohama should they be demolished.