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Tokyo architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about tokyo architecture

Project • By Zanghellini & Holt Associates • Restaurants

Xin Rong Ji, Akasaka, Tokyo

The inaugural international outpost of a renowned Chinese fine dining brand. Located in Tokyo’s Ginza district, Xin Rong Ji marks the brand’s first overseas venture, carefully balancing tradition and refinement across two distinct levels of dining. The design responds to the client’s ambition to reflect Taizhou culinary heritage while creating a setting that resonates with contemporary sensibilities. The ground floor is anchored by a Western-inspired main dining hall, where natural light passes through sheer white curtains, casting a soft ambience throughout. Pistachio green and deep burgundy upholstery are used strategically across the furniture palette, introducing a quiet play between calm warmth and vibrant contrast.... More

News • News • 3 Oct 2024

Daisuke Yamashita Architects designs unconventional house with “impromptu appearance” in Tokyo

Tokyo-based Daisuke Yamashita Architects has designed a home for a couple and their two children in central Tokyo. Built on a typically narrow plot in a close-packed urban area, this unconventional residence with its impromptu appearance is a quintessential example of Japanese architectural ingenuity. Takeshi YAMAGISHI DYA “Irifune Little House” is located in the Irifune neighborhood of Chūō-ku, Tokyo. The neighborhood is a lively blend of residential and commercial spaces. Chūō-ku’s literal meaning is “Central Ward” — the ward is the original commercial center of Tokyo (its best known district is Ginza, a bustling upscale shopping quarter). Daisuke Yamashita Architects has adeptly arr... More

Project • By ROOVICE • Offices

Commercial Space in Minato

Transformation of a 1960s Wooden Apartment Building in Tokyo’s Minato Ward into a Commercial Rental Property In the heart of Tokyo, Minato Ward, a traditional wooden apartment building, originally comprising six separate units, has been reimagined into a single cohesive commercial space. This architectural transformation involved a complete internal renovation, where all interior walls were demolished to create an open and unified living environment. Enhancing Light and Space on the Ground Floor The ground floor, which previously suffered from poor natural lighting and a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, was carefully redesigned to maximize the use of available light. Akira Nakamura Akira Nakamura Akira Nakamura Akira Naka... More

Project • By Photographe d'architecture : Aurélien Aumond • Cities

Tokyo After Dark: A Silent Symphony of Light

Far from the iconic, neon-soaked frenzy of Shibuya Crossing or Kabukicho, there exists a Tokyo that is hushed, vacant, yet undeniably alive. A Tokyo bathed in a serene, chromatic glow. Aurélien Aumond Aurélien Aumond Aurélien Aumond Aurélien Aumond Imagine wandering through the quiet expanse of Harumi and Fukagawa, the city’s pulse slowed to a gentle rhythm. The absence of human noise becomes a canvas upon which the city’s architecture reveals its true character. Towering structures and humble homes alike are transformed by a masterful interplay of light and shadow. It’s a world where colors seem intensified, textures heightened.  Aurélien Aumond Aur&eacu... More

Project • By ROOVICE • Housing

Ōmori House

The Ōmori House, a 60-year-old, two-storey wooden residence situated in the Ōta ward of Tokyo, stands as a testament to the architectural heritage of the area. This dwelling encapsulates a retro aesthetic that harmonizes seamlessly with its surroundings. Akira Nakamura Akira Nakamura Akira Nakamura Having housed a long-term tenant, the property then faced a period of over 10 years of vacancy due to its age and the owner's concerns over marketability. In a fortuitous turn of events, the property owner became acquainted with our Kariage initiative and chose to engage with it. This initiative specializes in revitalizing and subleasing aging, unoccupied properties at no cost to the owner, offering a creative solution to Japan's... More

News • News • 14 May 2024

Makoto Yamaguchi Design completes Tokyo gaming HQ with contemporary appearance of traditional Japanese pagoda

Tokyo-based Makoto Yamaguchi Design has completed the new headquarters of a Japanese gaming company in Tokyo’s Taitō Ward. “Monospinal” is a building characterized by a series of stacking floors with slanting walls, its architectural style having the contemporary appearance of a traditional Japanese pagoda. Koichi Torimura Makoto Yamaguchi Design The new headquarters is a place in which the majority of employees are engaged in creative endeavors. Makoto Yamaguchi Design therefore focused on finding a balance between workplace concentration and relaxation. Areas typically used by visitors can be found on the lower floors with those used by employees on higher levels, including: a fifth-floor dining room,... More

Project • By Hiroyuki Ito Architects • Apartments

Tenjincho Place

Apartment complex in Yushima, Tokyo. The site is located along the approach to a renowned shrine and on an edge of a plateau in Yushima, Tokyo. In recent years, numerous hotels in the area have been replaced by apartment complexes, resulting from a rapid transformation of the area’s character.Two complexities of the site have been significant factors for the design–the shape of the plot and the lighting conditions resulting from high-rise buildings surrounding it from three directions. By wrapping a curved volume around a central void, each residential unit obtains light, wind, and views. Masao Nishikawa Masao Nishikawa The courtyard in the centre of the building turned dimly lit. In our efforts to revitalize this sp... More

News • News • 10 Apr 2024

Tokyo Kabukicho Tower appears like a giant animated water fountain

Tokyo-based Yuko Nagayama & Associates designed the expansive facade of Tokyo Kabukicho Tower, a 48-story skyscraper in the Japanese capital’s Kabukicho entertainment district. The building’s distinguishing form appears like a giant animated water fountain. Daici Ano The 225-meter-tall (738 feet) tower structure was designed by Tokyo-based architectural firms Kume Sekkei and Tokyu Architects & Engineers. The building’s total floor area is 87,421 square meters (940,992 square feet), including five basement levels. Tokyo Kabukicho Tower stands on the former site of Shinjuku Milano-za (Tokyu Milano-za), a venue that led the entertainment scene in Kabukicho for almost 60 years. The tower is a mixed-use e... More

News • News • 21 Jun 2023

Hiroshi Nakamura’s quiet architecture welcomes visitors at Ueno Toshogu shrine in Tokyo

Ueno Toshogu is a Shinto shrine in the Ueno district of Tokyo's Taitō ward. In this project by Tokyo-based architectural studio Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, the studio designed an inner approach to the shrine and a courtyard of prayer centered around a 600-year-old sacred tree. The newly created layout and structures are a quiet, contemporary contrast to the grandness of the Shinto shrine.  Koji Fujii / TOREAL Koji Fujii / TOREAL The Ueno Toshogu shrine was built in 1627 and dedicated to the memory of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Tokugawa Shogunate “formed the basis of rule for the next 265 years in what came to be known as the Edo period.” Ueno Toshogu was constructed... More

News • News • 6 Feb 2023

Preview of OMA's first tower to be completed in Tokyo

Set to open in the Fall of 2023, Toranomon Hills Station Tower marks OMA's first built tower in Tokyo. The multi-use project incorporates a transportation node and network and forms a keystone of Mori Building's Toranomon Hills development, new global business centre, and urban hub for Tokyo.  OMA NY, Courtesy Mori Building Co., Ltd. A total of 49 floors and 266m in height, the tower concept includes offices, commercial space, hotels, and an interactive communication facility called TOKYO NODE. The high-rise is positioned at the terminus of Shintora-dori Avenue, a newly configured axial thoroughfare connecting Tokyo Bay to the city centre of Tokyo, and will connect with a number of the mixed-used buildings already in the vici... More

News • News • 27 Aug 2021

Waterflow generates the compelling vaulted form of Tokyo’s Tsuroaka House

Tsuruoka House by Kiyoaki Takeda Architects is a concept that attempts to sustain not only people but also nature. Sites are usually divided into ‘gardens’ and ‘houses,’ resulting in a relationship of nature and architecture being next to each other. Here the idea of stacking ‘garden’ and house’ is explored through a cross-sectional plan.  Masaki hamada (kkpo) This approach taken here goes against modern rooftop greening, which pursues thinner soil. Instead, the thickness of the soil was plotted to be as deep as possible to support a small forest hosting a diverse mixture of groundcover, shrubs, and small trees.  Masaki hamada (kkpo) Essential to supporting the substantial roof... More

Project • By ARCHIPLACE • Private Houses

Two-family house in Tokyo

It is a two-family house where each household can live calmly while respecting their privacy.Elevators will be set up, with parent households on the 3rd floor and child households on the 1st and 2nd floors. The LDKs of each household were placed in the south corner where the sunlight was good and the visibility was open throughout the year. It is a residence that incorporates an external space that has a role for each household so that they can live comfortably while maintaining a reasonable sense of distance and interact with their neighbors. Osawa Seiichi Osawa Seiichi Osawa Seiichi Osawa Seiichi Osawa Seiichi   More

News • News • 23 Feb 2021

Light-gradations and solidity characterize a unique Tokyo house design

A highly unique design, House T by Suppose Design Office in Tokyo evokes cave-like mystery with its carefully considered gradations of light, monolithic form and sense of solidity. Toshiyuki Yano As a speculative project designed for future sale or rent, the floor plan is intended to be variable in order to accommodate future desires and different lifestyles. The architect explains that by carefully studying the building’s proportions, the plans and cross-sections were developed with the hope that anyone could live in the house. Toshiyuki Yano The basement floor is directly accessible from the road on a steeply sloping site with a dug-in garage. The second floor, with void space to below, allows for a sense of openness eve... More

News • News • 27 Aug 2020

Unusual design opportunity found in constraint at Tokyo confectionary tool shop

In Tokyo, the Majimaya confectionary tool shop was founded in 1946. The specialty store is known for  wooden molds crafted by Hitoshi Ohgawara, who became famous across Japan for his delightful confectionary molds. In total, the shop offers 3000 different types of molds, leading to a creative display solution. Credit: Keisuke Miyamoto The design challenge in this latest renovation by KAMITOPEN Architecture-Design Office was that as an arcade area, the basement and second floor is not effective space for shop use. Seeing opportunity in constraint, the designer suggested setting up the evacuation stairs and protection fences with a display of the 3000 molds, with 3000 tin boxes located nearby. By linking the display with the number... More