The image shows the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building, a mixed-use residential and office complex designed by Kisho Kurokawa and completed in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1972. A representative work symbolizing Japan's architectural movement "Metabolism," it was dismantled in 2022.
Sometimes, when walking around town, you encounter architecture that makes you stop and look up.
An exterior that stands out like a sculpture. A structure that overhangs as if defying gravity. A space that incorporates light and the surrounding landscape, changing its expression depending on your viewing position.
Architecture is created for people to live, work, and gather. However, some buildings possess a form and presence that cannot be explained by function alone, stimulating the senses of the viewer much like a painting or a sculpture.
This time, I have deliberately excluded architecture primarily used as art museums or museums, and instead selected 11 buildings in Tokyo and Kanagawa that I felt were "like art."
Please note that while the Tokyo Institute of Technology Centennial Hall is currently also used as a main facility of the university museum, here it is featured as an architectural work built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the university's founding.
This is not a list based solely on historical architectural evaluation. It is a personal selection, focusing on the interesting shapes and structures of exteriors, and their relationship with the town and landscape.
1. Shizuoka Shimbun & Shizuoka Broadcasting Tokyo Branch Building
Location: 8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Design: Kenzo Tange
This building, standing at the border of Ginza and Shimbashi, combines a cylindrical core with box-shaped spaces.
Stairs and facilities are concentrated in the central cylindrical section, from which office spaces extend like branches. The concept of "Metabolism," which views architecture not as a completed form but as a structure capable of growing as needed, is clearly conveyed from its exterior.
Although completed in 1967, its distinctive silhouette is not lost amidst the high-rise buildings of present-day Ginza. Its form, composed solely of cylinders and cuboids, possesses a presence as if a fragment of a future city has been cut out.
2. NOA Building
Location: 2-3-5 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Concept: Seiichi Shirai
Design and Construction: Takenaka Corporation
With its black, shining elliptical upper section and reddish-brown base, the NOA Building clearly possesses a distinct character from its surrounding typical office buildings.
The exterior walls have few windows, revealing little of the interior. The massive cylindrical upper section combined with the weighty lower section creates a powerful presence, reminiscent of a tower, a fortress, or an abstract sculpture.
Completed in 1974, it was conceptualized by Seiichi Shirai, with Takenaka Corporation handling the design and construction. On sunny days, it takes on a metallic gleam, while under cloudy skies, it appears as a dark mass on the street corner.
3. Embassy of Kuwait in Japan
Location: 4-13-12 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Design: Kenzo Tange
This embassy building features large and small cuboids protruding horizontally and vertically around a thick structural core.
Instead of simply stacking floors, it spatially arranges various functional spaces. This vertical combination of multiple functions creates a composition like a small city within a single building.
The sight of heavy concrete boxes floating in mid-air combines boldness with tension. Completed in 1970, this work by Kenzo Tange evokes the experimental nature of post-war architecture, where structure directly translates into form.
4. Tokyo Institute of Technology Centennial Hall
Location: 2 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Design: Kazuo Shinohara
Upon exiting Ookayama Station, a silver half-cylinder appears at the campus entrance.
Disparate forms such as curved surfaces, straight lines, and glass planes intersect, making it resemble a giant three-dimensional artwork placed in front of the station rather than a university facility. The composition where the upper half-cylinder appears to float and protrude also strongly characterizes this architecture.
Built as part of the project commemorating the 100th anniversary of the former Tokyo Institute of Technology, it was completed in 1987. Designed by Kazuo Shinohara, it currently also serves as a main facility of the Tokyo Institute of Technology Museum.
5. Tama Art University Library (Hachioji Campus)
Location: 2-1723 Yarimizu, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo
Design: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects
This university library features large and small concrete arches arranged like a forest of trees.
The gentle slope extending from the main gate continues into the building, and the floor is not perfectly level. Through the glass panels along the arches, the exterior nature overlaps with the interior bookshelves and desks.
The arches appear regularly arranged at first glance, but their width and height differ slightly. As you walk, the overlapping of columns and the views change, creating a sense of progressing through an arch-shaped forest.
6. Hillside Terrace
Location: Sarugakucho / Daikanyamacho area, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Design: Fumihiko Maki / Maki and Associates
Hillside Terrace is not a single building. It is a low-rise complex of residential, commercial, and office spaces stretching along Kyu-Yamate Dori.
It was constructed in phases from 1967 to 1992. Rather than completing the entire block at once, it was formed over a long period, adapting to the changing environment and urban conditions of each era.
Its appeal lies not just in the individual buildings. The overall relationship, including sidewalks, courtyards, stairs, landscaping, and the spacing between buildings, creates the distinctive streetscape of Daikanyama. Walking along the street, one can feel the process through which architecture and the city have grown together.
7. St. Mary's Cathedral (Tokyo Cathedral)
Location: 3 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Design: Kenzo Tange
This cathedral for the Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo features curved surfaces clad in stainless steel, soaring upwards towards the sky.
Viewed from above, it forms a cross shape, with eight continuous curved surfaces that do not clearly separate walls from the roof. From ground level, a sharply sweeping silhouette emerges, reminiscent of wings, origami, or a metal sculpture.
The current cathedral, designed by Kenzo Tange, was completed on December 8, 1964. In contrast to its silver exterior, the interior is a weighty space of exposed concrete. Light entering from above creates solemnity without relying on ornamentation.
8. Yokohama Port Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal
Location: 1-1-4 Kaigandori, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa
Design: Foreign Office Architects (FOA)
Designers: Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Farshid Moussavi
This international passenger terminal blurs the boundaries between floor, wall, and roof, continuously folding multiple surfaces.
The design was selected through an international competition, and the current facility was completed in 2002. The upper part is a plaza called "Kujira no Senaka" (Whale's Back), which, despite being the building's roof, can be walked upon like a park or an observation deck.
Pathways, plazas, and the roof connect seamlessly, without clearly distinguishing where the building ends and the outdoors begins. It offers an experience as an artificial landscape extending towards Yokohama Port.
9. Shonan Port Yacht House
Location: 1 Enoshima, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa
Design: HELM + ondesign partners
This port facility spreads a wavy white roof over the yacht harbor on Enoshima.
A single roof of approximately 2,000 square meters covers the entire building, creating a soft silhouette reminiscent of the sea, wind, and yacht sails. Openings are provided in the roof to let in natural light, brightening the interior plaza and terrace.
Planned as a replacement for the old facility built in 1964, the current yacht house was completed in 2014. It is designed not only for yacht users but also as a port hub open to general visitors.
10. Kioi Seido
Location: 3-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Design and Supervision: Hiroshi Naito Architect & Associates
A transparent glass skin envelops the massive concrete structure within.
Inside, walls, stairs, and large wooden beams intersect three-dimensionally, with circulation paths winding around the atrium. This architecture emerged from an unconventional idea: instead of strictly compartmentalizing spaces by function, the use of the spaces was considered after completion.
Kioi Seido was completed in December 2020. Since then, it has been featured through tours, exhibitions, and architectural magazines. As you change your viewing position, the overlapping of structural elements shifts, making it feel as if a three-dimensional artwork is housed within the building, or as if the building itself is the artwork.
Please note that this facility is not always open for casual viewing. Information on public access and events must be confirmed in advance on the official website. The location and recent public information can be found on the Rinri Institute's guide.
11. Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Second Gymnasium
Location: 2 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Construction and Overall Design: Kenzo Tange
Structure: Yoshikatsu Tsuboi
The Second Gymnasium, located next to the First Gymnasium, consists of a nearly circular plan and a suspension roof.
It features a structure where suspension cables extend spirally from a single central pillar, supporting the roof surface. The silhouette, spiraling upwards towards the center, integrates with the circulation path around the building's perimeter, creating a strong sense of dynamism within a limited scale.
Built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, it was completed on August 31 of the same year. It was used as the venue for basketball events during the Games, and in 2021, it was designated a National Important Cultural Property along with the First Gymnasium.
Take a slight detour to see architecture
The fascination of architecture is not something that can only be appreciated with specialized knowledge.
The shape is interesting. The combination of materials is beautiful. Why is it standing in this particular place, in this form? Just by looking with such simple questions, your familiar town will start to look a little different.
The 11 buildings introduced here were personally selected from among the architectural structures in the Tokyo area that I found captivating for their interesting forms, structural beauty, and relationship with the city.
Of course, there are many other wonderful buildings that could not be fully introduced.
I encourage you to take a slight detour on your usual path or approach intriguing buildings during your travels to find your own "architecture as art."
References and Facility Information
Shizuoka Shimbun & Shizuoka Broadcasting Tokyo Branch Building｜TANGE Associates
NOA Building｜Tokyo Architecture Festival
Embassy of Kuwait in Japan｜TANGE Associates
Tokyo Institute of Technology Centennial Hall & Museum｜Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tama Art University Library (Hachioji Campus)｜Tama Art University Library
Hillside Terrace Story｜HILLSIDE TERRACE
St. Mary's Cathedral (Tokyo Cathedral)｜Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo
Yokohama Port Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal Architecture Guide
Shonan Port Yacht House｜Kanagawa Prefecture
Kioi Seido｜Rinri Institute
History of Yoyogi National Gymnasium｜Japan Sport Council
Notes
※ The scope of public access, opening days, and photography rules vary by facility. Please check the official website of each facility for the latest information before visiting. Please be considerate of facility users and those in the surrounding area when visiting embassies, universities, religious facilities, and business facilities.
※ The images shown are AI-generated line drawings of each building. Actual details and surrounding environments may differ.
