Numerous historical and contemporary architectural styles may be found in Japan, all of which are stunning. Japanese ancient architecture included wooden buildings with thatched roofs, burial mounds, and a tribal aesthetic.
Chinese Buddhist architecture significantly impacted designs during the beginning of the Nara Period, which led to a significant advancement in them. Japanese architecture had begun taking on its distinctive features by the Heian Period.
Japan constructed some of the most incredible wooden buildings in the world because of the architecture’s exceptional carpentry skills and refined aesthetic sense. Western plans imported to Japan between the 1860s and WWII adopted the architectural style.
After World War II, Japanese architects kept creating complex and distinctive designs. Tokyo is no exception to the many architectural marvels of Japan. The city’s skyline is spectacular, with beautiful skyscrapers and architecturally distinctive structures that draw tourists.
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1. Tokyo Tower
The Tokyo Tower is an observation and communications tower that rises 1,092 feet above the earth in Tokyo, Japan’s Shiba-Koen neighborhood.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris served as the primary architectural and structural inspiration for Tokyo Tower, the second-tallest building in Japan.
The building, which stands a few feet higher than the Eiffel Tower, was painted orange and white worldwide to meet air safety requirements. After being built and formally inaugurated in 1958, the Tokyo Tower was the highest building in Japan until the Tokyo Skytree overtook it in 2012.
Tourism, which receives more than 150 million people annually, is the tower’s primary income source, followed by antenna leasing.
The structure known as Foot Town, which lies immediately below the tower, is home to several gift shops, a museum, dining establishments, and the One Piece Tower indoor amusement park.
The Special Observatory is at 819 feet, while the Main Observatory is at the height of 490 feet, both of which are on Tokyo Tower. The tower has seen more than 150 million visitors.
2. Yoyogi National Sports Center
The Yoyogi National Gymnasium is a venue with a suspension roof that can be found in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan’s Yoyogi Park. The building, built between 1961 and 1964, served as the venue for swimming and diving competitions at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Basketball tournaments were held at a different annex during the same games. Kenzo Tange created the building, and Frei Otto was inspired by it to create the Olympic Stadium Arena in Munich.
The Yoyogi National Gymnasium, which seats 13,291 spectators, is now primarily utilized for basketball, futsal, and ice hockey. The arena will serve as the venue for handball events at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
3.Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
The Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, a towering educational building with a cocoon-themed design, is located in Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood. The building represents the school’s capacity to nurture its pupils and prepare them for the outside world.
Three educational institutes, Shuto Ik, HAL Tokyo, and Tokyo Mode Gakuen, are housed in the 50-story building. The tower, which stands 669 feet tall and is the second-tallest educational structure in the world, was finished in 2008. Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower the 2008 Skyscraper of the Year by Emporis.com.
4. Tokyo Skytree
The Tokyo Skytree in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan, rose to become the highest building in the nation at 2080 feet. Tokyo Skytree is the second-tallest building in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa, which is 2,722 feet tall.
The architecture of Japanese pagodas served as the tower’s primary source of inspiration. The Tokyo Skytree was built with a central column from which the remainder of the structure hangs since pagodas are renowned for being earthquake-resistant structures.
5. St. Mary’s Cathedral
The Roman Catholic seat for the Archdiocese of Tokyo, St Mary’s Cathedral, was erected in 1964 and designed by Kenzo Tange. It is regarded as one of his greatest works.
At first, the Gothic-style timber building from 1899 was damaged by airstrikes on Tokyo during the Second World War. Later, in 2007, the St. Mary’s Cathedral underwent renovation. The building is a high abstraction covered in stainless steel. It has a glass cross at the top of its roof that can be seen from the air.
6. Building of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Another of Kenzo Tange’s imposing designs is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which is situated in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The Metropolitan Government of Tokyo’s administrative center is housed in the building, formally inaugurated in 1991.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was intended to have a computer chip-like appearance. The building has 48 stories, is 797 feet tall, and has three more buildings, each of which is a city block in size.
The highest and most noticeable of the three buildings is Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No. 1. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s free observation decks are a significant draw for tourists, which provide spectacular panoramic views of Tokyo and beyond.
On the 45th level of each tower, 663 feet tall, are cafés and gift stores shared by the two decks.
7. Nakagin Capsule Tower
The Nakagin Capsule Skyscraper, built-in Shimbashi, Tokyo, Japan, by Kisho Kurokawa, is an unusual mixed-use tower with space for residences and offices. The structure symbolizes the post-World War II Metabolist movement and looks like a line of washing machines.
The units, which have a bed, built-in bathroom, phone, and TV, have been crammed together since they were first created for single entrepreneurs.
The original plan was to maintain the structure carefully, but because the capsules were in such awful condition, this did not happen. As of October 2012, just 30 of the 140 capsules are still in use as flats, with the others serving as storage or office space or being left abandoned.