TGCT Route H : Architecture in Tokyo

This tour invite you to some of the notable modern architectures in Tokyo.

Modern architecture here refers to buildings built after the Meiji Restoration of 1867. The founder of modern architecture in Japan was the young English architect Josiah Conder, who was invited by the Meiji Government. Students who studied with him at the University of Tokyo became the first generation of Japanese architects, and the generation that followed in their footsteps enriched the Japanese architectural world. Today their superior designs can be seen not only in Japan but across the world.

Japan has had excellent architecture since ancient times, however,  the reason why we focus on the modern architectures is due to the fact that Tokyo was devastated twice since Meiji, first by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and second the World War II (the Tokyo Air Raid of 10th of March 1945 burnt one third of central Tokyo).  Therefore, unlike Kyoto and other cities, there are not many old architectures has not survived in Tokyo, however it made some rooms for architects to incorporate new ideas without being confined by old customs.

Japan, which is often hit by natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, needs buildings that are disaster-resistant. In line with becoming more strict seismic standards, the research and construction of earthquake-proofed buildings has progressed in order to prepare for large earthquakes. 

<Important notice>
Due to time and distance constraints, not all of the buildings listed here will be visited on this tour.

< GINZA > area

 Tsukiji Hongwanji main hall （built in 1934）Website
　　Architect: Chuta Ito （1867 - 1954）
　　Building: Buddhist Temple
　　Feature: Mixture of various styles from all over the world　(Indian facade and towers, Islamic arch, Japanese style windows and interior, etc.)  And animals such as birds, elephants and monkeys are hidden.

 KABUKI-ZA （reconstructed in 2013）
　　A: Kengo Kuma （1954 - ）
　　B: Dedicated Kabuki theatres and offices
　　F: Kabukiza Theatre is initially opened in 1889, and has gone through several transformations, the latest one is the fifth. Architecturally, it is an icon, showcasing the building styles from two distinctive periods in Japanese history, namely Nara (600–794) and Momoyama (late sixteenth century). Also, It is combined with a tower building behind it.

 Mikimoto Ginza 2 （2005）
　　A: Toyo Ito （1941 - ）
　　B: Commercial （Jewelry Shop）
　　F: Steel plates concrete structure with glass required higher technique, but it gives freedom for the facade design.

 SEIKO House Ginza （1932, 2008 renewal）
　　A: Jin Watanabe（1887 - 1973）
　　B: Commercial (Jewelry / Watch)
　　F: Neo-renaissance style. Symbolic building of GINZA

 TASAKI Ginza （2010）
　　A: Kumiko Inui （1969 - ）
　　B: Commercial （Jewelry Shop）
　　F: The hundreds of panels vary in shape, size, colour and texture, evoking the pearls, diamonds and other natural objects that the shops deal with.

 Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki （2021）
　　A: Jun Aoki（1956 - ）
　　B: Commercial (Fashion Brand)
　　F: "Water Pillar" inspired by Claude Monet "La Grenouillère".  The facade's has a double structure with a curved surface of 'dichroic mirror' glass, which reflects only orange light, and a 'gradation film' on the inside, which reflects blue light, creating a situation where the apparent colour changes according to the way the light hits it.

 Nicolas G. Hayek Center （2007）
　　A: Shigeru Ban （1957 - ）
　　B: Commercial （Swatch Group）
　　F: This architecture is fun and innovative. Firstly, the front is divided into four large shutters, which open wide when lifted. The idea of a 'multi-storey alley' was introduced, with each brand shop stacked on top of the other and connected to each other by a dedicated lift, as well as the underground car park. The interior sides also have a big vertical garden.

 Shizuoka Press and Broadcasting Center （1967）
　　A: Kenzo Tange （1913 - 2006）
　　B: Office
　　F: A valuable legacy of Metabolism architecture. Regretfully, the most iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower by KISHO KUROKAWA was demolished in 2022.
　　　

< SHIBA / AZABU > area

 TOKYO TOWER （1958）
　　A: Tachu Naito （1886-1970）
　　B: Radio tower （height 333m）
　　F: As an architectural engineer, Naito was a specialist in steel tower construction and calculated the earthquake-resistant structure himself. The steel frame is partly made from scrapped war tanks.　

 Azabudai Hills （Nov. 2023）　Website 
　　A: Multiple architects and designers（namely, Peli Clarke & Partners, Winkreative, Yabu Pushelberg, SCDA, Sou Fujimoto, etc. The unique low-rise areas was designed by Thomas Heatherwick, UK）
　　B: Complex (Modern Urban Village), Green & Wellness
　　F: The Mori JP Tower (64F, 330m) is the highest building in Tokyo

 NOA Building （1974）
　　A: Sei-ichi Shirai （1905-1983）
　　B: Commercial （Office）
　　F: Overwhelming presence of giant elliptical cylinder. The upper part is covered with copper sulfate panels and the lower part is covered with broken red bricks. The architect intended this as DOSOJIN (stone statue guardian deities located at village borders, mountain passes and other roadsides to prevent epidemics and evil spirits and to promise safety on journeys)

< ROPPONGI > area

 21_21 Design Sight （2007） Website
　　A: Tadao Ando （1941 -）
　　B: Design Museum with 3 galleries
　　F: 80% of the building is embedded so that to integrate or merge an artificial object into the surrounding nature.

 The National Art Center, Tokyo （2007） Website
　　A: Kisyo Kurokawa （1934-2007）
　　B: Museum / Gallerie
　　F: Conical elements is the architect's signature. Wave-like green glass in order to create "Museum in Woods"

< AOYAMA > area

 SunnyHills （2013）　　　　　　
　　A: Kengo Kuma （1954-）
　　B: Commercial （Taiwanese Cake Shop）
　　F: Japanese traditional framing "Jigoku-gumi"（A special technique interlocks wood with wood, requiring no nails or bonds. Once assembled, the joints are permanent. Wooden batons are assembled diagonally to support the building）

 PRADA Aoyama （2003）　　　
　　A: Herzog & de Meuron (Basel, Switzerland)
　　B: Commercial （Fashion Brand）
　　F: This building is conceived as a perforated spatial structure, with a green glass façade overhanging the building from a diagonal lattice that forms the outer plate of the structure, uniting the structure, the space and the façade. The vertical core, horizontal tubes, floor slabs and facade lattice define the space and simultaneously form the structure and facade. The glass is only an outer shell, which can be likened to a contact lens fitted into the pupil of an eye.

 Spiral Building （1985）
　　A: Fumihiko Maki （1928 -）
　　B: Event Space/Store
　　F: The theme of this facility is to provide a space for people to experience art more easily and on a daily basis. The building's naming comes from the spiral corridors inside. 

< OMOTESANDO > area

 Omotesando Hills （2006）
　　A: Tadao Ando （1941 -）
　　B: Housing complexes, shops and restaurants
　　F: Redevelopment of the former "Dojunkai Apartment" site. The building's height was set at the same level as the zelkova trees lining Omotesando street to blend in with the town, with harmony with the landscape and environment of historic Omotesando as the first priority. Furthermore, in the six-storey atrium space in the centre of the main building, a slope with the same slope and length as Omotesando has been arranged to create a 'second Omotesando' and lay out the commercial facilities.

 Tod's Omotesando （2004）
　　A: Toyo Ito（1941 -）
　　B: Shop / Office
　　F: The building's surface is silhouetted in the shape of a zelkova tree, the symbolic street tree of Omotesando, on all four sides, and the surface material and building structure are integrated.

 Louis Vuitton Omotesando （2002）
　　A: Jun Aoki （1956 -）
　　B: Commercial （Fashion Brand）
　　F: The building consists of four differently sized, differently patterned small travel boots (a staple of the brand) stacked on top of each other.

 Dior Omotesando （2003）
　　A: SANAA （Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates）
　　B: Commercial （Brand Shop）
　　F: The architecture stands dignifiedly in Omotesando like a lady in a pure white dress. the most attractive feature of this building is its transparent, white and soft exterior. It is made up of two layers of glass and inside acrylic screen. Softly enveloping and like a silk curtain that flutters in the wind, the acrylic screen has a three-dimensional curved surface moulded from mountainous plaster and printed with white stripes. The screen is translucent so that the light reflects softly when illuminated.

 Omotesando Branches （2015）
　　A: Sou Fujimoto （1971 -）
　　B: Shop / Office / House
　　F: The simple post-and-beam frame resembles a tree branch, from the end of which natural trees extend their branches. It proposes a new fusion of nature and architecture.

< THE TOKYO TOILET in SHIBUYA >

THE TOKYO TOILET Project is consist of 17 unique public toilets in Shibuya-ward designed by notable creators around the world.　Here are some of them.

　Jingu-Dori Park（2020）
　　　A. Tadao Ando （1941 -）
　 Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park（2020）
　　　A. Shigeru Ban （1957 -）
　 Yoyogi Hachiman （2021）
　　　A. Toyo Ito （1941 -）
　 Jingumae （2021）
　　　A. NIGO®

for further information, please refer to the official website

< Olympic Stadiums >

 Yoyogi National Gymnasium（1964）
　　A: Kenzo Tange（1913-2006）
　　B: Capacity: 8,636 seats (1st Gym), 2,803 seats (2nd Gym)
　　F: The pinnacle of modernism architecture. Both Gymnasiums 1 and 2 use a 'suspension structure', which was rare at the time. In particular, Gymnasium 1 adopted a 'double suspension structure', which was unprecedented in the world as a structural form.

 National Stadium （2019）
　　A: Kengo Kuma（1954 -）
　　B: Capacity: 67,750 seats
　　F: It is designed as a collection of small-diameter pieces of wood. The facade consists of overlapping, multi-layered eaves. The roof has a truss structure which combines steel beams and laminated lumber with a medium cross-section, utilizing the axial stiffness of wood to minimize deformation of the roof trusses due to wind or earthquakes.

< AKASAKA > area

 THE AKASAKA PALACE （1909）　　　　　　　
　　A: Tokuma Katayama （1854-1917）
　　B:  The State Guest-House     National Treasure
　　F: The work follows the French Baroque style, but incorporates Japanese motifs such as armour and thunderbirds in the decoration.

TORAYA （2018）　　　　　　　
　　A: Hiroshi Naito （1950-）
　　B: Commercial （Traditional Japanese sweet shop）
　　F: The building is fan-shaped to match the shape of the site, with Japanese craftsmanship throughout, including walls latticework of cypress (B1), stairs and corridors surrounded by cypress and other timbers, finished black plaster walls behind the shop counter (2F), and a large fan-shaped roof with attractive wood shading (3F).

< MARUNOUCHI / YURAKUCHO >　area

Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building （1914, reformed 2012）
　　A: Kingo Tatsuno（1854-1919）
　　B: Station Building / Tokyo Station Hotel (2F, 3F）
　　F: Constructed of brick and steel. It took 20 years from planning to construction.  It is said to be modelled on the Central station building of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Mitsubishi No.1  Building （1894, reformed 2009）
　　A: Josiah Conder（1852-1920）
　　B: First western-style office building. Currently used as a museum.
　　F: Englishman Josiah Conder taught at the University of Tokyo at the request of the Meiji Government and trained many Japanese architects. 

Tokyo International Forum （1997）
　　A: Rafael Viñoly（1944-）　U.S.A（Uruguay）
　　B: Public comprehensive cultural facilities
　　F: This place was former Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices. It consists of four halls of various sizes and a huge ship-like atrium.

==========================================

<ADDITIONAL>

The architectures listed below are not part of this tour route, but are most interesting buildings in Tokyo that are worth visiting.

Bank of Japan  Head Office Building（1896）Website
　　Architect: Kingo Tatsuno（1854-1919）
　　Location: 2-1-1 Nihonbashi-Hongokucho, Chuo-ku
　　Nearest station: Mitsukoshimae (Metro Ginza Line)

The National Museum of Western Art  （1959）Website
　　Architect: Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
　　Location: 7-7 Ueno-koen, Taito-ku
　　Nearest station: JR Ueno (Yamanote Line)

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan  （1961） Website
　　Architect: Kunio Maekawa（1905-1986）Studied by Le Corbusier
　　Location: 5-45 Ueno-koen (in front of The National Museum of Western Art)
　　Nearest station: JR Ueno (Yamanote Line)

St. Mary's Cathedral  （1964）Website
　　Architect: Kenzo Tange（1913-2006）
　　Location: 3-16-15 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku
　　Nearest station: Edogawabashi (Metro Yurakucho Line)

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichi-kan （1926）Website (in Japanese)
　　Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright（1867-1959）
　　Location: 2-31-3 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku
　　Nearest station: Ikebukuro (JR Yamanote Line, or Metro)