Tourism

Observation decks and walkable neighbourhoods — how to actually go and see the architecture.

Nagoya TV Tower Naka Ward, Nagoya A 180-meter steel lattice tower completed in 1954 in Sakae, Naka Ward, Nagoya — Japan's first completed television broadcasting tower. Designed by structural engineer Naito Tachu and set within Hisaya Odori Park, it has served since 2021 under the name Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER.

Tsutenkaku Naniwa Ward, Osaka Completed October 1956, Tsutenkaku is the iconic tower of the Shinsekai district in Osaka. Standing 103 m tall (108 m with lightning rod), 5 stories above ground and 1 below. Structural design by Tachu Naito; construction by Okumura Gumi. Registered as a national tangible cultural property.

Kyoto Station Building Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto The 1997-completed station complex designed by Hiroshi Hara. Sixteen floors, 60 m tall, 235,942 m² of floor space — and a 470-metre facade that redefines what a railway station can be.

Kyoto Tower Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto A 131m observation tower completed in 1964 just outside Kyoto Station, designed by architect Mamoru Yamada to resemble a traditional Japanese candle. The observation deck at 100m offers panoramic views of the city's ancient grid and three surrounding mountain ranges.

Kachidoki Bridge Chuo City A 246-metre steel road bridge completed in 1940 on the Sumida River. Its central span is Japan's only Chicago-style double-leaf bascule bridge, last opened in 1970. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 2007.

Kiyosu Bridge Chuo City A three-span self-anchored suspension bridge completed in 1928, 186.2 metres long. Modelled on Germany's Great Suspension Bridge in Cologne, it was designed to be feminine and graceful, a counterpoint to the masculine strength of Eitai Bridge upstream. In 2007 it became the first road bridge under prefectural management to be designated an Important Cultural Property.

Nihonbashi Bridge Chuo City A stone double-arch bridge completed in 1911, carrying the Nihon Kokudo Rodo Hyoshiki — the national road origin marker — at its centre. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 1999. The expressway overhead is currently being put underground, with completion expected in the 2040s.

Eitai Bridge Chuo City A steel tied-arch bridge completed in 1926, 184.7 metres long. Rebuilt in the reconstruction after the Great Kanto Earthquake and modelled on Germany's Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine, it is the oldest surviving tied-arch bridge in Japan and the first there to exceed a 100-metre span. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 2007.

Tokyo Tower Minato City A self-supporting steel broadcasting tower completed in 1958. Standing 333 m tall, it surpassed the Eiffel Tower and symbolised Japan's postwar recovery — and still defines Tokyo's skyline.

Page 1 of 1