Originally an inlet of the sea ran northwards to a cove at present-day Hibiya and
Kokyo Gaien plaza, into which the
Kanda River flowed. In the era of
Tokugawa shogunate, the
Tokugawa bakufu worked out of
Edo castle and the area surrounding Edo castle was developed and landfilled. The fishing village then became an urban area where many
daimyō lived. On September 5, 1905, Hibiya Park was the initial site of the
Hibiya riots, which expanded into a citywide riot, triggered by the terms of the
Treaty of Portsmouth which ended the
Russo-Japanese War (1904−1905). After the end of the
Meiji Restoration Hibiya, the city of Tokyo had become a modern city for there were many buildings including the
Imperial Hotel (Tokyo's first western hotel),
Rokumeikan, Tokyo city hall and the Tokyo Club. In the 1930s, the first electric traffic light in Japan appeared at a Hibiya crossing point. The once fashionable district has changed into a business street. ==Transportation==