The Wondrous Present and Future of Tokyo’s Architecture

In a city as densely populated with skyscrapers and other grand buildings as Tokyo, it’d be hard for one single structure to stand out. And yet many do. This is a testament to Japan’s capital being a paradise for architecture aficionados.

Wherever you look, you see steel-glass-and-concrete monuments to human ingenuity, from the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, the shape of which brings to mind a mikoshi palanquin or a torii gate, to the stainless-steel facade of Ginza’s V88 Building. Then you have the Nakagin Capsule Tower, which continues to fascinate the world decades after construction. It’s another of Tokyo’s many impressive structures and one of architect Kisho Kurokawa’s best-known designs. The intricate stacking of toy block-looking capsules with round windows manages to feel both old and futuristic. And we cannot forget the imposing towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Nishi-Shinjuku. You can see all of them and much more on one of Tokyo’s many architectural walking tours.

It’s hard to say where Tokyo’s architecture will go next, but it’ll probably be an elegant union of modernity and tradition, as well as technology and nature. And at the forefront of it, you’ll most likely find accomplished Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, whose latest creation, the National Stadium that is planned to be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The project is an expression of the Japanese architectural thought. For one, the stadium is a huge, technological marvel, but it also blends into its environment instead of dominating it. It also uses many natural materials like wood (which Kuma collected from every prefecture in the country.) Finally, its layered design was inspired by tradition, specifically the Horyu-ji Temple, possibly the oldest timber structure in the world.

There are more examples of Kuma’s work in Tokyo. In fact, the Sunny Hills café in Omotesando with the cypress wooden lattice covering the outside of the building is one of them. There is also the Tiffany store in Ginza, which plays with light in otherworldly ways, or the impossible-looking Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. Look them up yourself and prepare to be amazed.

Japan National Stadium
https://youtu.be/KkU7SF_dZHg
https://www.jpnsport.go.jp/corp/english/activities/tabid/391/Default.aspx