Tokyo Contemporary Architecture

Tokyo architecture tour, Nakagin Capsule Tower
Tokyo architecture tour
Prada Aoyama, Tokyo architecture tour

Due to past earthquakes, fires, as well as the bombing during the war, not too many historical buildings have survived in Tokyo. However there's no shortage of contemporary buildings, mostly by Japanese architects but also by some foreign units as well.

Works by a few of the big names are mentioned below in this section of the website. Whenever I go abroad for travel, I am always on the lookout for any projects by Japanese architects, but always encounter difficulty finding information particularly for newer projects. So I have provided addresses wherever I felt there is difficulty for a non-local to locate the exact spot. Note that street names are not provided because in most cases, names don't exist in the first place! Google Maps will prove very handy when searching through the lesser-known areas of the metropolis. 

 

You'll find many of the architecture introduced here are either in the Omotesando or Ginza district. They are right in the main tourist areas of town, so be on the lookout for some of the buildings featured here.

 

Note that with a few of the buildings, I was a bit more vague on the location. This is because certain buildings are used as a private residence, and I felt it would be inappropriate to list the full address.

 

Visit this page for details on the Tokyo Toilet Project, a renovation of public toilets in the Shibuya District of Tokyo that featured many of the famous architects introduced in this section.

 


Kenzo Tange

・Tokyo Metro Government Building

・Yoyogi Gymnasium (pictured)

・Fuji Television Headquarters

・St Mary's Cathedral

Details 

Kengo Kuma

・Tokyo Olympic Stadium  

・Takanawa Gateway Station 

・Kadokawa Musashino Museum

・KiKi's Museum of Literature 

Details

Tadao Ando

・Omotesando Hills

・DESIGN SIGHT

Tokyu Shibuya Station

 

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Kiyonori Kikutake

・Sky House (pictured)

・Edo Tokyo Museum

Details

Kisho Kurokawa

National Arts Center, Roppongi

・Nakagin Capsule Tower (gone)

・National Arts Center (pictured)

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Toyo Ito

Toyo Ito

・Mikimoto Ginza 2 (pictured)

・Kering Building Omotesando 

Details


Herzog & de Meuron

Prada Aoyama (pictured)

MiuMiu Aoyama

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Renzo Piano

Maison Hermes

 

Details

Jean Nouvel

Dentsu Building

 

Details