Kobe Municipal Subway’s “Meya Station” Building to be Named “Tete” after Opening – Kobe

　JR West Urban Kaihatsu (1 Sumiyoshi-honmachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City) announced on December 9 that it will name its commercial facility “tete Naya” after the renovation and opening of the Kobe Municipal Subway “Naya Station” building (2 Nakaochiai, Suma-ku).

Logo design for “tete

　This is part of the “Naya Revitalization Plan,” a project to revitalize the Kobe Naya area, including the station, as a “dynamic, multi-generational town” under Kobe City’s “Renovation Kobe” project to improve the city’s brand and induce population.

　The plan calls for renovating the station building, reorganizing its tenants, and constructing a new North Building to improve convenience and comfort for station users and revitalize the station and surrounding area. A consortium of three companies, led by JR West Urban Kaihatsu, will be responsible for all aspects of the facility, including planning, design, and construction.

　The new North Zone will be a three-story building with a total floor area of approximately 2,362 square meters, and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2023. The renovated part of the south zone (current station building) will be a two-story building with a total floor space of approximately 4,691 square meters, and is scheduled to open in fiscal 2024.

　The name of the facility, “tete,” expresses the idea of a place where people can connect with each other and with the community, just like hand in hand, and where the “multi-generational symbiotic town and community” that Kobe-Nagaya is aiming for can be fostered. The symbol also expresses the desire of JR West Urban Kaihatsu, the operator of the facility, and the Kobe City Transportation Bureau to “work hand in hand to develop the facility into one that is close to the people of the community.

　The symbol mark of the facility is said to be an abstract expression of “aiming to be a community place that connects diverse people” and “the image of people joining hands” by connecting two different colors with a single soft curve. The image color is a combination of wood colors inspired by the natural environment of Kobe City and blue, reminiscent of the blue sky seen from the ridgelines of the Rokko mountain range.

　Yuki Matsubara, Deputy General Manager of the Development Strategy Department of JR West Urban Development, said, “We believe that the value we want to provide to customers at the new commercial facility at Naya Station is ‘a space to work, learn, and interact in a relaxed and calm environment’ in the north zone and ‘a space with liveliness, color, and fun’ in the south zone. We will do our utmost to realize this concept and make everyone in the community happy,” he said.