The streets of Tokyo offer an opportunity to admire some of the most impressive architectural creations in the country. While plenty of foreign architects have donated to the scene, it's the contributions of Japan's own creators which offer the most insight into the lifeblood of the city. Some are proud symbols and others have a cult following, but each piece of the landscape reflects the changing needs and hopes of the times in which they were built.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - Kenzo Tange
One of the most recognisable landmarks in itself, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku is also a popular spot for city views of Tokyo thanks to its free observatories. Serving as the headquarters of those running the city below while inviting visitors to look out across the skyline, its dominance seems a fitting mark of the effective heart of the city.
Comprised of three separate buildings, it is best known for the two towers which rise from the 33rd floor of the main building and continue up for a further fifteen floors. It has been popularised by science-fiction manga and film as it offers not only a futuristic image of Tokyo but one instantly identifiable as Shinjuku, appearing in Godzilla and Final Fantasy XV.
Designed by Kenzo Tange and opened in 1990, it is not only a landmark of the city, but of his prolific career. Having designed the previous headquarters in Yurakucho in 1957, his ability to not only recognize the changing face of Tokyo but to help direct it over multiple decades reflects a true insight into the city and its future.
Nakagin Capsule Tower - Kisho Kurokawa
Another infamous effort to encapsulate the future of design is the Nakagin Capsule Tower — a brutal example of metabolism which has been saved as a piece of Tokyo's history. Featuring dozens of removable capsules that serve as miniature apartments or offices, the building is renewable but many units have fallen into disrepair. A symbol of the Metabolist movement of the of the 1960s, it was designed by artist Kisho Kurokawa, who battled for its protection until his death in 2007.
Offering self-renewal, the project reflected the concept of biological growth key to the post-war movement, and combines living and working spaces in a futuristic model for the city. Still standing, the building has an uncertain future, but Kurokawa's lasting mark is unlikely to be forgotten. As a key player in the movement, he was one of the few to turn his concepts into viable projects. Further examples of his work include two pavilions erected for the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka.
Tokyo Tower - Tachi Naito
Often overshadowed by the Skytree, Tokyo Tower is an older symbol of Tokyo's foray into symbolic design. It was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in France, but designed by a little-known Japanese architect from Yamanashi. As the second tallest structure in Tokyo, it's an easy identifier wherever you are in the city. It's also one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world — no easy feat for a country racked with earthquakes and controlled by strict regulations.
The designer, Tachi Naito, was renowned for making the tallest structures in the country, drawing from his background as an architect, engineer and professor. Considered a leader in earthquake-proof design, his theories were proven when months after completing the main office of the Industrial Bank of Japan, the building withstood the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. He continued to build almost all of Japan's most iconic towers, including the TV towers of Sapporo and Nagoya, Beppu Tower and the iconic Tsutenkaku in Osaka. All, of course, remain unscathed and stand as landmarks to the engineering and architectural knowledge of a little-known architect who still holds records today.
Tokyo Skytree - Nikken Sekkei
A staple of the city's skyline and a symbol of its love of neo-futuristic style, Tokyo Sky Tree is almost twice the height of Tokyo Tower. At 634m, the height is a phonetic spelling of the area's traditional name, 6 (mu) 3 (sa) and 4 (shi); the name was chosen in a public vote, beating second-place suggestion Tokyo Edo Tower. Incorporating the traditional pagoda into the design as well as the nod to the name, the landmark reflects a balance between old and new, perfect for a city with skyscrapers framing Shinto shrines.
Designed by Nikken Sekkei, a large architectural firm founded in 1900, the tower is also attributed to Tadao Ando, whose original design created in tandem with artist Kiichi Sumikawa may have been remodeled. A boxer-turned-architect, the Pritzker prize winner was self-taught and is known for blending aspects traditional Japanese culture like zen into modern and timeless designs with a focus on nature.
New National Stadium - Kengo Kuma
An as-of-yet uncompleted design but a site well-known throughout Tokyo, the New National Stadium will be the host for the 2020 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the top track events. While there was originally hope of renovating the original stadium, which was designed for the 1964 Olympics by Mitsuo Katayama, and described as "the birth of a modern Japanese architecture" by Tadao Ando, it was instead demolished.
Currently under construction, the initial winning design was a source of controversy due to high costs, and was eventually retracted and replaced with a creation of Kengo Kuma. The new and final design, featuring a wooden lattice layered with leafy vegetation and open terraces combines tradition and practicality for a strikingly alternative view of the future of Tokyo.
Kuma is well known for his use of wooden structures, often without any metal support thanks to the tradition of tsugite, and manages to blend contemporary style with the materials of Japan's past.
While they form simple references for lost travellers or welcome symbols of home to locals, the landmarks of Tokyo are creations of a changing city and the architects who encapsulated the hopes of the future, many of whom continue to do so today. Likely to stand for decades to come, the towers and observation decks serve practical purposes, but also as symbols of Tokyo's ideals, past and present.
By Lily Crossley-Baxter
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