The Otemachi Tower

A 38-story mixed-use tower completed in April 2014 in the heart of Otemachi, Tokyo. Designed by KPF, the building rises approximately 200 meters and combines Aman Tokyo luxury hotel, offices, and a genuine urban forest at its base.

Use

Office tower

Area

Chiyoda City

Completed

2014

Floors

38 above ground, 6 below

Height

200 m

Developer

Tokyo Tatemono, Taisei Corporation

Architect

KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox)

An Urban Forest at the Foot of a Skyscraper

Walking from Tokyo Station’s Nihonbashi exit toward Otemachi, a canopy of mature trees comes into view before any tower does. This is Otemachi no Mori—an urban forest planted at the base of Otemachi Tower. Completed in April 2014, the 38-story, approximately 200-meter mixed-use tower was designed by KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox) and jointly developed by Tokyo Tatemono and Taisei Corporation, with Taisei also handling construction.

The forest is no ornamental greenbelt. Planted with native species on a site designated as a Special Urban Regeneration District, it was part of a strategy to extend the ecological network from the Imperial Palace grounds toward the Tokyo Station district while mitigating urban heat. Walking between the trees before looking up at the tower creates a sense of depth rarely experienced in the heart of the city.

An Anchor of the Otemachi Sequential Urban Regeneration Project

Otemachi Tower stands as a major landmark of the “Otemachi Sequential Urban Regeneration Project”—a carefully phased approach in which successive aging buildings are demolished and rebuilt in sequence, keeping the district continuously active throughout. Otemachi Tower served as an early flagship, demonstrating the direction the district was heading.

The tower’s upper floors house Aman Tokyo, a luxury hotel whose interiors are said to have been designed by Kerry Hill, layering shoji screens and washi paper textures high above the cityscape. Below ground, the commercial facility OOTEMORI connects directly into Otemachi’s underground pedestrian network, linking the tower to neighboring business districts without surfacing.

Summary

Otemachi Tower was completed in April 2014—38 floors above ground, six below, approximately 200 meters tall. Designed by KPF and jointly developed by Tokyo Tatemono and Taisei Corporation, it brought together an urban forest, luxury hotel, offices, and retail in a single integrated scheme. The combination of greenery and glass makes for a compelling pause between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station. If you are exploring central Tokyo on foot, the view through the trees toward the tower is not to be missed. The area around Otemachi and Tokyo Station is well served by hotels, making it an excellent base from which to walk this part of the city thoroughly.

Related: Otemachi Place / JP Tower (KITTE) / Shin-Marunouchi Building