Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
東京都庁舎

General information
Status	Complete
Type	Prefecture building
Location	Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates
Construction started	1988
Completed	1991
Opening	1991
Cost	¥157 billion
Height
Roof	242.9 meters (797 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	48
Floor area	195,764 m² (2,107,190 sq ft)
Design and construction
Owner	Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Architect	Kenzo Tange

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎, Tōkyō-to Chōsha^?), also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or 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 make up Tokyo as a whole.

Located in Shinjuku, it held the title of the tallest building (by roof height) in Tokyo, at 243 meters (799 feet),^[1] from 1991 to late 2006, when it surrendered its title upon the completion of Midtown Tower. The two panoramic observation decks, one in each tower on floor 45 (202 meters high), are free of charge to the public and contain gift shops and cafes.^[2] They are open till 23:00 on weekdays. Use of cameras is permitted, but tripods are forbidden.

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), 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 building was finished in 1991 at the expense of ¥157 billion (about US$ 1 billion) of public money.

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.

1 In popular culture
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

In popular culture

Though it has not gained the same degree of worldwide recognition as Tokyo Tower, the Metropolitan Government Building has come to represent the city in its own right. It frequently appears in Japanese science fiction as a symbol of authority or, often, serving as the basis of type scenes depicting a futuristic or post-apocalyptic Shinjuku.

In the 1991 OAV Message of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers anime TV series, the rooftop is where the spirit of Suzunagi first manifests itself.
In The 1991 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, The Metropolitan government building is destroyed by Godzilla in a fight with Mecha-King Ghidorah.
The Tokyo metropolitan government building is the last remaining Tokyo landmark after the city is in ruins in the anime series, Mobile Fighter G Gundam.
In the movie and TV series versions of the anime X by CLAMP, the headquarters of the Dragons of Earth is located underneath the building complex.
In Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, the complex sits, half underwater, atop the "Shinjuku Underground Nuclear Installation"; a notable location within a recurring subplot.^[3]

References

^ "Two International Masters", ArchitectureWeek No. 235, 2005.0413, pN1.1.
^ "TMG Offices Observatories". Tokyo Metropolitan Government. http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/observat.htm. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
^ "潜在熱源 EXCAVATION, 狂想は亡国の調べ Pu239". Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. March, April 2004.

External links

Records
Preceded by Sunshine 60	Tallest building in Japan 243 m (797 ft) 1991–1993	Succeeded by Yokohama Landmark Tower
Preceded by Sunshine 60	Tallest building in Tokyo 243 m (797 ft) 1991–2007	Succeeded by Midtown Tower

Skyscrapers and towers in Tokyo

List of tallest structures in Tokyo

Completed

Over 300 m	Tokyo Tower (333 m, 1958)

200–300 m	Midtown Tower (248 m, 2007) · Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 (243 m, 1991) · NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building (240 m, 2000) · Sunshine 60 (240 m, 1978) · Roppongi Hills Mori Tower (238 m, 2003) · Shinjuku Park Tower (235 m, 1994) · Tokyo Opera City Tower (234 m, 1996) · Shinjuku Mitsui Building (225 m, 1974) · Shinjuku Center Building (223 m, 1979) · Saint Luke's Tower (221 m, 1994) · Izumi Garden Tower (216 m, 2002) · Shiodome City Center (216 m, 2003) · Dentsu Building (213 m, 2002) · Shinjuku Sumitomo Building (210 m, 1974) · GranTokyo North Tower (205 m, 2007) · GranTokyo South Tower (205 m, 2007) · Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (204 m, 2008) · Shinjuku Nomura Building (203 m, 1978)

180–200 m	Shin-Marunouchi Building (198 m, 2007) · Harumi Island Triton Square Tower X (195 m, 2001) · Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower (195 m, 2005) · Sannō Park Tower (195 m, 2000) · Sompo Japan Building (193 m, 1976) · Nittele Tower (193 m, 2003) · Sea Tower (192 m, 2008) · Mid Tower (192 m, 2008) · Acty Shiodome (190 m, 2004) · Shinjuku I-Land Tower (189 m, 1994) · Atago Green Hills Mori Tower (188 m, 2001) · Cerulean Tower (184 m, 2001) · Sumitomo Real Estate Shinjuku Oak Tower (184 m, 2002) · Century Park Tower (180 m, 1999) · NEC Supertower (180 m, 1990) · JA Building (180 m, 2009) · Park City Toyosu Building A (180 m, 2008) · Keio Plaza Hotel North Tower (180 m, 1971)

160–180 m	Sumitomo Fudosan Mita Twin Buildings (179.3 m, 2006) · Marunouchi Building (179 m, 2002) · W-Comfort Towers (178.5 m, 2004) · Marunouchi Trust Tower Main Building (178 m, 2008) · Toshiba Building (165.9 m, 1984) · Shiodome Media Tower (172.6 m, 2003) · Kasumigaseki Common Gate Towers (175.8 m, 2007) · World Trade Center (Tokyo) (162.6 m, 1970) · Tokyo Shiodome Building (173.2 m, 2005) · Park Axis Aoyama 1-chome Tower (172.4 m, 2007) · Royal Park Shiodome Tower (172 m, 2003) · City Towers Toyosu The Twin (171.2 m, 2009) · Marunouchi Park Building (170.1 m, 2009) · JT Building (169.7 m, 1995) · Bay City Harumi Sky Link Tower (169 m m, 2009) · Central Park Tower La Tour Shinjuku (167.8 m, 2010) · Capital Mark Tower (167.3 m, 2007) · Sapia Tower (167.2 m, 2007) · Yebisu Garden Place Tower (167 m, 1994) · Kita-Shinjuku Area Redevelopment Plan Office Tower (166.5 m, 2011) · Naka-Meguro Atlas Tower (165 m, 2009) · Marunouchi Kitaguchi Building (147.4 m, 2004) · Tokyo Twin Parks (165 m, 2002) · Triton View Tower (165 m, 1998) · Toyosu Center Building (165 m, 1992) · Tokyo Building (164.1 m, 2005) · Akasaka Tower Residence (162 m, 2008) · Shinjuku Maynds Tower (161.1 m, 1995) · Shibaura Island Cape Tower (161 m, 2006) · Nippon Seimei Marunouchi Building (160 m, 2004) ·

150–160 m	Concieria Nishi-Shinjuku Tower's West (159.8 m, 2008) · Tornare Nihombashi-Hamacho (159.7 m, 2005) · Roppongi Hills Residences (159 m, 2003) · Brillia Tower Tokyo (158.9 m, 2006) · Prudential Tower (158.4 m, 2002) · Bunkyo Civic Center (145.7 m, 1994) · Shiroyama JT Trust Tower (147.7 m, 1991) · Park Court Akasaka The Tower (157.3 m, 2009) · Atago Green Hills Forest Tower (157 m, 2001) · Plaza Tower Kachidoki (155.2 m, 2004) · The Toyosu Tower (155 m, 2008) · Tokyo Dome Hotel (155 m, 2000) · Tokyo Gas Co. Headquarters (155.7 m, 1984) · KDDI Otemachi Building (155.4 m, 1990) · Takanawa The Residence (153.9 m, 2005) · Toranomon Towers Residence (153.5 m, 2006) · Ark Mori Building (153.3 m, 1986) · Toyosu 3-Chome Area 8-4 Plan (153 m, 2010) · Station Garden Tower (153 m, 2008) · Tokyo Sankei New Building (152.4 m, 2000) · JPower Headquarters (153 m, 1987) · Park Tower Gran Sky (152.9 m, 2010) · Garden Air Tower (152.6 m, 2003) · Shinagawa East One Tower (151.6 m, 2003) · Shiba-Koen First Building (151.2 m, 2000) · Futako-Tamagawa Rise Tower & Residence Tower East (151.1 m, 2010) · Odakyu Southern Tower (150.8 m m, 1998) · Air Rise Tower (150.5 m, 2007) · JR East Japan Building (150.2 m, 1997) · Nihon Keizai Shimbun Tokyo Headquarters Building (150 m, 2009) · Kudanshita 3rd Government Building - Chiyoda Ward Office (150 m, 2007) · Taiyo Seimei Shinagawa Building (150 m, 2003) · Granpark Tower (150 m, 1996) ·

140–150 m	Shinagawa Grand Central Tower (149.8 m, 2003) · Pacific Century Place (149.8 m, 2001) · Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Building (148.5 m, 2003) · Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corporation Head Office (148.4 m, 2003) · Canon S Tower (147.7 m, 2003) · Akihabara Dai Building (147.5 m, 2005) · Toyosu Center Building Annex (147.4 m, 2006 · BEACON Tower Residence (147 m, 2009) · Meiji Yasuda Seimei Building (146.8 m, 2004) · Fujisoft Akihabara Building (146.7 m, 2007) · Canal First Tower (145.5 m, 2008) · NTT DoCoMo Shinagawa Building (145.1 m, 2003) · River City 21 East Towers (144.9 m, 2000) · Sumitomo Fudosan Aobadai Tower (144.5 m, 2009) · Shinagawa Intercity Towers (144.5 m, 1998) · Hotel New Otani Tokyo Tower (144.5 m, 1974) · Toyosu Ciel Tower (144.4 m, 2006) · Apple Tower (143 m, 2007) · Shinagawa V-Tower (143 m, 2003) · Shinagawa Prince Hotel New Tower (143 m, 1994) · Mizuho Bank Headquarters (142.5 m, 1980) · Regale Nihombashi-Ningyocho (142.2 m, 2007) · Shirokane Tower (141.9 m, 2005) · Hikifune Station Front Area 1 Redevelopment (141.6 m, 2009) · Akasaka Park Building (141 m, 1993) · City Tower Shinagawa (140.9 m, 2008) · ThinkPark Tower (140.5 m, 2007) · Shinjuku Kokusai Building - Hilton Tokyo (141 m, 1984) · NHK Broadcasting Center (140.1 m, 1973) ·

130–140 m	Station Plaza Tower (139.9 m, 2009) · Sumitomo Fudosan Nishi-Shinjuku Building (139.9 m, 2009) · World City Towers (139.9 m, 2007) · Olinas Tower (139.3 m, 2006) · Kokusai Shin-Akasaka East Building (139.3 m, 1980) · Toyosu ON Building (139 m, 1992) · River City 21 Skylight Tower (139 m, 1990) · Shibuya Cross Tower (134.1 m, 1975) · Akasaka Prince Hotel (138.9 m, 1982) · World City Towers Aqua Tower (138.7 m, 2006) · The Tower Grandia (138.7 m, 2004) · Tokyo Times Tower (138.5 m, 2004) · Roppongi T-CUBE (138.5 m, 2003) · Venasis Kanamachi Tower Residence (138.2 m, 2009) · Royal Parks Tower Minami-Senju (138 m, 2008) · Kawadacho Comfo Garden (138 m, 2003) · Otemachi Nomura Building (138 m, 1997) · Proud Tower Chiyoda Fujimi (137 m, 2009) · Cosmopolis Shinagawa (137 m, 2005) · Bay Crest Tower (136.6 m, 2005) · Renaissance Tower Ueno-Ikenohata (136.5 m, 2005) · Nippon Express Headquarters (136.5 m, 2003) · Crest Prime Tower Shiba (136.4 m, 2007) · Century Tower (136 m, 1991) · Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters (135.6 m, 1973) · Chiyoda First Building West (135 m, 2004) · NTT DoCoMo Sumida Building (135 m, 2003) · Akasaka Intercity (134.8 m, 2005) · Hotel New Otani Garden Court (134.7 m, 1991) · Vanguard Tower (134.6 m, 2007) · Riverside Sumida Center (134.4 m, 1994) · The Garden Towers (134.3 m, 1998) · Yoyogi Seminar Tower Obelisk (134 m, 2008) · Nakano-Sakaue Sun Bright Twin (134 m, 1996) · Moon Island Tower (133.8 m, 2002) · Shinjuku NS Building (133.7 m, 1982) · Shiodome Building (133.5 m, 2007) · Tokyo ANA Tower (133 m, 1986) · Kogakuin University Shinjuku Building (132.9 m, 1989) · Sumitomo Realty Shiba-Koen Tower (132.6 m, 2001) · NTT Data Shinagawa Building (132.3 m, 2003) · River City 21 River Point Tower (132 m, 1989) · Shin-Gofukubashi Building (132 m, 1979) · City Tower Shinjuku Shintoshin (130.6 m, 2005) · The Center Tokyo (130 m, 2007) · River Harp Tower Building 2 (130 m, 2000) · Tomin Tower Shinonome (130 m, 1996) · Sunshine City Prince Hotel (130 m, 1980) ·

Under
construction

Tokyo Sky Tree (634 m, 2011) · JP Tower (200 m, 2011) · Nishi-Shinjuku 8-chome Naruko Area Redevelopment (196 m, 2011) · Kachidoki View Tower (192 m, 2010) · Higashi-Ikebukuro 4-chome Redevelopment Project (189 m, 2011)

Buildings listed in order of height and with year of completion
Category · Commons

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Contents

In popular culture

See also

References

External links