Be inspired by the awesome creations around Tokyo!
Situated at the head of Tokyo Bay on the central coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, Tokyo is well known for one of the most outstanding skylines in the world. With its natural landmarks, spectacular skyscrapers, and impressive man-made attractions the capital city presents a magical panorama at night.
Table of Contents
Introduction
For many centuries Tokyo remained with low-rise buildings as the city was prone to earthquakes on one hand and the other hand due to the techniques of building construction adopted during that era permitting a maximum height of slightly above 30 metres. It was only towards the middle part of the 20th century that the initial skyscraper Kasumigaseki Building was inaugurated at a height of 158 metres, with others coming up.
By the latter part of the 20th century, many taller buildings emerged in Tokyo making it the turning point in changing the skyline of the city. With the increasing importance of financial markets and the Urban Renaissance Law, in 1986 explicit encouragement of vertical construction began moving forward to creating business districts with verticalization. Chiyoda and Shinjuku areas in Tokyo were the initial spaces where high-rise buildings started emerging.
At present with over 1,200 high-rise buildings, Tokyo has the greatest number of skyscrapers of a city in the world. The city is also continuing its futuristic vision aiming to meet all its energy requirements with renewable energy including Hydrogen, wind power and the introduction of floating solar farms. With these initiatives going on by 2050, the capital city will become a zero-emission city with a carbon goal of net zero.
Discover some of the features of the futuristic architecture used in creating a few of the significant high-rises in Tokyo in the recent past which will be of use to you as discerning visitors to Tokyo.
Tokyo Sky Tree – The tallest tower in Tokyo
Opened to the public in 2012, Tokyo Sky Tree is a telecommunication and observation tower that is 634 metres in height. The structure is completely earthquake-proof as a central core with reinforced concrete along with a supporting pillar attached to the exterior structure. The same pillar is connected to the tower with a hydraulic system geared to absorb any shock in case of an earthquake. These features of architectural and engineering excellence keep the structure safe for all visitors.
The two viewing points, one at 350 metres which can hold up to 2000 people and the other at 450 metres which can hold up to 900 people offer breathtaking views over Tokyo. These viewing points are not missed by visitors using hotels in Tokyo Shinjuku.
Tokyo Tower – The tallest freestanding tower at the time it was built
Resembling the Iconic Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower was built in 1958 at 333 metres in height, taller than the Eiffel Tower. It was built as a tower for television broadcasting and serves that purpose even today. Tokyo Tower is also known as the mother tower of Tokyo Sky Tree.
To celebrate its Golden Jubilee, Top Deck, an observation deck 100 metres above the existing 150-metre observation deck was opened to the public in 2018 offering a myriad of photo opportunities with the mirrored ceiling and wall. A much looked-forward-to experience enjoyed by guests from hotels such as BELLUSTAR TOKYO.
A unique feature of Tokyo Tower is that about a third of its entire steel requirement was recycled steel from the American Tankers used in the region during the Korean War.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (TOCHO)
Although not as spectacular as its cousins, Tokyo Tower, and Tokyo Sky Tree this 243-metre-tall building is one of the tallest in Tokyo. Opened in 1991 this is also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or TOCHO in brief.
Of the three structures in the complex, the tallest is Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building 1, a tower with 48 floors split into two sections (north and south towers) on the 33rd floor giving it the appearance of a Gothic Cathedral. Each of these towers has been built with an observatory on the 45th floor, both offering great views of the city.
Visitors can have super views of Tokyo Sky Tree, Tokyo Bay and even Mount Fuji on clear days. At night the spectacular skyline can be viewed without any obstructions.
Shibuya Sky
Standing at a height of 230 metres, Shibuya Sky is an observatory on top of Shibuya Scramble Square a shopping and entertainment area in Shibuya, Tokyo. This is the tallest building in the district of Shibuya.
Visitors can enjoy interactive digital art and visual displays of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing from the Sky Gallery. The gallery also affords 360-degree views of the square The rooftop has an observation compass to identify the major landmarks such as Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Stadium and even as far as Mount Fuji on a clear day. The spacious area has hammocks for cloud watching giving multifaceted experiences for visitors.
If you are visiting at dusk wait to enjoy the light show featured for the benefit of visitors and onlookers each evening called Crossing Light. 18 beams illuminate the city sky in a spectacular show.
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Azabudai Hills – The tallest and newest Skyscraper in Tokyo (Japan)
Opening its doors to the public on 24 November 2023, Azabudai Hills is a huge multifaceted complex covering 81,000 square metres of space in the heart of the city. With well over a decade in the making the completion of this project has been an outstanding process of regeneration with dialogues and negotiations between the building consortium and the various stakeholders of the community.
One outstanding feature visible is the attempt to create harmony between nature and the visitors and residents of the complex. This newest addition to the skyline is a kind of city within a huge complex made for people and filled with greenery.
Its main 330-metre-tall building adds more stature to the already existing massive complexes in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Apart from an upscale hotel, luxury boutiques, and high-end restaurants, digital art museums and the British School are located within the massive complex.
