Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Government office building in Nishi-Shinjuku, Japan.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building forms a striking twin-tower ensemble in the Nishi-Shinjuku district, with 48 floors and a height of approximately 243 meters (797 feet). Both towers rise in parallel and connect at the base through a shared podium that houses conference rooms and office spaces.
Kenzo Tange won the 1985 invited competition and the complex was built from March 1988 to December 1990, opening for business in April 1991. It replaced the 1957 Marunouchi city hall, also by Tange, whose site became the Tokyo International Forum. At 242.9 m, Building No. 1 was Tokyo's tallest by roof height until Midtown Tower in 2007.
The complex serves as the administrative headquarters for the Tokyo metropolitan area, home to about 14 million residents who live and work across the region. Its twin towers mirror each other in form and create a symmetrical composition that remains visible from afar, embodying the city's governmental role.
The two observation decks sit on the 45th floor of Building No. 1, 202 metres up, reached by direct lifts from the 1st floor in about 55 seconds. Entry is free, but the south and north decks keep different opening hours and closing days, so check which one is open before going. Each deck has a cafe, bar and gift shop.
The facade pattern was copied from the ceiling of the Yoshimura House, an old farmhouse in Habikino, Osaka, after a designer found a photograph of it in a 1950s book on Japanese architecture. Kenzo Tange later said the grid evoked Edo-period insect-cage windows and integrated circuits. In February 2024 the building was recognized by Guinness World Records for the world's largest projection mapping display.
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