Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
東京都庁舎
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.1
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Prefecture building
Location	Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates	35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E / 35.68972°N 139.69222°ECoordinates: 35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E / 35.68972°N 139.69222°E
Construction started	April 1988
Completed	December 1990
Opening	April 1991
Cost	¥157 billion
Owner	Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Height
Roof	242.9 meters [797 ft]
Technical details
Floor count	48
Floor area	195,764 m^2 [2,107,190 sq ft]
Design and construction
Architect	Kenzo Tange
Structural engineer	Kiyoshi Mutō

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.2

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎 Tōkyō-to Chōsha), also referred to as Tochō (都庁) for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that constitutes the whole Tokyo Metropolis.

Located in Shinjuku, the building consists of a complex of three structures, each taking up a city block. The tallest and most prominent of the three is Tokyo Metropolitan Main building No.1, a tower 48 stories tall that splits into two sections at the 33rd floor. The building also has three levels below ground. The design of the building (which was meant to resemble a computer chip^[1]), by architect Kenzo Tange (and associates), has many symbolic touches, most notably the aforementioned split which re-creates the look of a Gothic cathedral.

The other two buildings in the complex are the eight-story Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building (including one underground floor) and Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.2, which has 37 stories including three below ground.

The two panoramic observation decks, one in each tower on floor 45 (202 meters [663 ft] high), are free of charge to the public and contain gift shops and cafes.^[2]

History

The building was designed by Kenzo Tange and finished in December 1990 at the expense of ¥157 billion (about US$ 1 billion) of public money. It replaced the former Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at Yūrakuchō, which was built in 1957 and also design by Tange. The former Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is now the site of the Tokyo International Forum.

It was the tallest building (by roof height) in Tokyo, at 243 meters [797 ft],^[3] until the Midtown Tower was completed in 2006.

Though it has not gained the same degree of worldwide recognition as Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Skytree, the Metropolitan Government Building has come to represent the city in its own right. It frequently appears in Japanese science fiction and anime such as Digimon Tamers as a symbol of authority or in type scenes depicting a futuristic or post-apocalyptic Shinjuku. Famously, the building made its first major appearance in the 1991 Godzilla film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, where it appears in the first part of the film's climactic battle between Godzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah. The two monsters fight at the foot of the skyscraper, with Godzilla eventually crashing through the building's midsection.

See also

• List of tallest buildings and structures in Tokyo

References

1. Kenzo Tange: Multifaceted Colossus Who Mirrored the Era (in Japanese). Nikkei Architecture - Nikkei BP. 2005. p. 118. ISBN 4-8222-0476-6.
2. "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatories". Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
3. "Two International Masters", ArchitectureWeek No. 235, 2005.0413, pN1.1.

External links

• Map showing the buildings and its neighborhood
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings
• Guide to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Tour (in Japanese)
• CityMayors.com feature
• 3D model of the building for use in Google Earth
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Complex
• Wheelchair Accessibility Information