Otherworldly architecture in Tokyo
With its neon signs, buildings with incredible silhouettes and mix of avant-garde and tradition, Tokyo is the destination that most resembles our idea of a futuristic city. A meeting point that is also heir to an ancient intellectual and artistic tradition, the capital of Japan has an impressive skyline through which Mount Fuji can sometimes be seen. Join us on a tour of Tokyo’s most contemporary architectural landmarks, including works by award-winning national geniuses such as Kengo Kuma.
In the Shinjuku district, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (aka the Tochō) is a tourist landmark, not only because of the quality of its architecture, but because it boasts one of the city’s best viewpoints – at 202m above ground level – for seeing Mount Fuji. The design is the work of Kenzō Tange, one of Japan’s finest architects and a 1987 Pritzker Prize winner. The complex has three skyscrapers, the most recognised of which is Building No. 1, whose appearance reproduces a contemporary vision of a Gothic cathedral.
As if it were a scenario from the Dune universe, just a short distance from the Tokyo Tower is the Reiyukai Shakaden Temple, a black pyramid-shaped structure built in 1975 by the Takenaka Corporation. This monumental temple, open to the public, is home to the headquarters of Reiyūkai, an international association that practices secular Buddhism. Inside is a giant Buddha and a reserve of 45,000 litres of drinking water, which could be used in the event of a natural disaster.
While on the way to the next stops, be sure to check out the extension of Shibuya Station, one of Tokyo’s busiest. In 2008, the architect Tadao Ando – who also won the Pritzker Prize in 1995 – designed this extension to house new metro lines. At that time, it was already designed to be a sustainable station with a natural ventilation and thermal regulation system – something exceptional in constructions of this type – for which the chichusen, structures that look like spaceships, play a very important role.
In the Shibuya district, home to the uber-famous neighbourhoods of Harajuku and Omotesando, there are hidden architectural gems such as the Bay Window Tower House apartments, with their striking use of concrete, or the sinuous lines of the Roob-5 buildings, between Modernism and Art Nouveau, and the futuristic Sunwell Muse Kitasando. The pinnacle of local architecture, however, is the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Also designed by Kenzō Tange for the 1964 Olympic Games, it also hosted competitions in 2021. The most impressive thing about this stadium is its suspended ceiling, an innovation that is considered one of the most influential structures in modern Japanese architecture.
The Omotesando neighbourhood is home to a shopping boulevard deemed one of the world’s best spots for luxury shopping with some of Tokyo’s most fantastic buildings. Each boutique maintains its own aesthetic: that of Miu Miu, an opaque structure designed by the Herzog & Meuron studio that imitates the shape of an upside-down cardboard box, contrasts with that of Prada (from the same studio), a transparent and lightweight construction that looks like an urban aquarium. Another interesting point is the Omotesando Keyaki by Norihiko Dan and Associates, surrounded by the L-shaped Tod’s building by Toyo Ito, another Pritzker Prize winner. Don’t miss the Dior headquarters in Tokyo, just five minutes away.
Ginza, a sophisticated, centuries-old shopping district, showcases world-class architecture. It was one of the places through which Western aesthetics arrived in Japan, as evidenced by the Wako building, built in 1932 with influences from the Neoclassical and Art Deco styles. Also located there is Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki, with its façade completely renovated by Jun Aoki & Associates and inspired by the movement of water. Another of the district’s most recognized façades is that of Ginza Place, by the Klein Dytham studio in collaboration with Taisei, a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
The Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the official residence of the Emperor of Japan, is located on the grounds of the ancient Edo Castle, surrounded by the Chiyoda Gardens. The current palatial buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although many of them were rebuilt during the second half of the 20th century after being severely affected during World War II. The interior grounds of the complex can only be accessed through guided tours, but fascinating enclaves such as the Bridge Nijubashi can be found here.
In 1996, the Tokyo International Forum, a convention centre with the capacity to host events for 5,000 guests, was completed. The architect who designed this 27,500sqm-structure was the Uruguayan Rafael Viñoly, who brought his trademark style to a construction where steel and glass adopt impossible curves. Its central atrium has suspended glass walls that allow the building’s interior light to be observed from different points of the city.
In the Shinjuku district, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (aka the Tochō) is a tourist landmark, not only because of the quality of its architecture, but because it boasts one of the city’s best viewpoints – at 202m above ground level – for seeing Mount Fuji. The design is the work of Kenzō Tange, one of Japan’s finest architects and a 1987 Pritzker Prize winner. The complex has three skyscrapers, the most recognised of which is Building No. 1, whose appearance reproduces a contemporary vision of a Gothic cathedral.
