TOKYO HIGH-RISE ARCHITECTURE
A hobby blog touring Tokyo's major office towers and high-rise residences one by one — mostly in Minato, Chiyoda and Chuo wards. Completion years, heights and the background of each development, recorded from public sources.
Photo: The White House (public domain)
The ten most recent articles — buildings, expressways and railways alike.
A 52-story, approximately 284-meter mixed-use skyscraper under construction in Nihonbashi, central Tokyo. The anchor tower of the Tokyo Midtown Nihonbashi development, led by Mitsui Fudosan, Nomura Real Estate, and Nomura Holdings, it is set to become the second-tallest building in Tokyo upon its 2026 completion.
A 55-story, 256-meter tower completed in 1995 on the artificial island of Sakishima in Osaka Bay. Originally opened as the Osaka World Trade Center (WTC), it was transferred to Osaka Prefecture in 2010 following the bankruptcy of its operating company, and now serves as the prefectural government building.
Opened 10 September 2020 in the Aomi district of Kōtō City, this four-storey cruise terminal has a total floor area of approximately 19,000 m². Its single berth has a quay wall 430 metres long with a water depth of 11.5 metres, enabling the world's largest cruise ships to dock directly. A Yurikamome station is directly connected to the building.
Completed November 2008, this 550-metre road bridge spans the Harumi Canal between Harumi 5-chome in Chuo City and Toyosu 6-chome in Kōtō City. Its five-span continuous steel-deck V-leg box girder gives the crossing an unusually light silhouette. The vehicle lanes opened in November 2018 as part of Ring Road 2; a pedestrian and cycling path has been accessible since before the road opening.
Opened 25 March 2006, this 580-metre road bridge crosses the Harumi Canal between Harumi 3-chome in Chuo City and Toyosu 6-chome in Kōtō City. Shuto Expressway Route 10 opened through its central section in March 2018, completing a two-tier structure that was built into the design from the start.
Opened 10 April 1988, this road-rail combined bridge links Kojima in Kurashiki, Okayama with Sakaide, Kagawa across the Bisan Seto strait. Six bridges totalling 9,368 m in bridge length carry the Seto-Chuo Expressway above and the JR Bisan-Seto Line below — the world's longest road-rail combined crossing.
Completed in 1927, this steel-reinforced concrete arch bridge spans the Kanda River between Chiyoda and Bunkyo wards. Named through a public competition for the two sacred buildings on its banks — Nikolai Cathedral to the south and Yushima Seido to the north — it is recognized as a JSCE Civil Engineering Heritage site (2017) and a beloved Tokyo landmark.
Completed in 2002, this international cruise terminal sits at the tip of Osanbashi Pier in Yokohama Port. Designed by FOA (Foreign Office Architects) after winning a global competition of 660 entries from 41 countries, its wave-like wooden deck roof doubles as a 24-hour public plaza open to all.
Opened April 1998, this suspension bridge spans 3,911 m between Kobe and Awaji Island, with a world-record main span of 1,991 m. The twin towers rise 298.3 m above sea level. The bridge's total length was extended by one metre after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake struck during construction.
The fourth runway at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), opened 21 October 2010. Its 2,500-metre surface at the mouth of the Tama River was built on a hybrid structure: a 520,000 m² steel-jacket pier section supported by 1,165 steel-pipe piles, combined with a reclaimed-island section.