Showing 1-25 of 25 results
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Aoyama Rei-en
John Manjiro, the famously shipwrecked young fisherman who became the first Japanese person to go to America, is buried here, as is professor Ueno, the master of Hachikō the Dog. It's a good alternative to the crowds at Ueno or Yoyogi-kōen during hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) season. You can stroll from either Roppongi or Aoyama.
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Daien-Ji (Daien Temple)
Established sometime around 1615, this small, photogenic temple hemmed in by trees commemorates stillborn and miscarried children as well as aborted fetuses. In the rear of the temple precinct is a separate tribute to the 14,700 people who died in the fire of 1772, which in addition to flattening most of the wooden houses in surrounding Meguro, burned the original temple structure to the ground.
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Design Festa
One of the strangest buildings in Aoyama, the headquarters of Design Festa looks like an industrial, spider-webbed diorama, though the space is actually home to a slew of galleries. Design Festa is also responsible for the enormous art and design festival that takes place biannually at the Tokyo Big Sight.
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Ferris Wheel
Don't miss one of the world's tallest Ferris wheels, which is as high as the second viewing platform of the Eiffel Tower (the one in Paris, not Tokyo Tower!).
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Fuji TV
Designed by the late, great Kenzō Tange, the Fuji TV headquarters building is recognisable by the 90-degree angles of its scaffoldinglike structure, topped with a 1200-tonne ball. You can actually go into the ball, which is a terrific observation deck. Pick up an English guide at the dog bone (err, desk?) out front, for information on a self-guided tour.
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Hachikō Statue
In the 1920s, a professor who lived near Shibuya Station kept Hachikō, a small Akita dog, who came to the station every day to await his master's return. The master died while at work in 1925, but the dog continued to show up and wait at the station until his own death 10 years later. Hachikō's faithfulness was not lost on the Japanese, who built a statue to honour his memory.
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Hie-Jinja
This Shintō shrine traces its roots to the sacred Mt Hiei, northeast of Kyoto, and it has been the protector shrine of Edo Castle since it was first built in 1478. The present site dates from 1659, though the shrine was destroyed in the 1945 bombings and later rebuilt in 1967.
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Jinja
Buddhist Sensō-ji sits just in front of its Shintō neighbour, Asakusa-jinja, in silent architectural testament to the peaceful co-existence of these two religions in Japan. Also known as Sanja-sama, this shrine is the site of one of Tokyo's most important matsuri.
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Louis Vuitton Store
For several years running, the Japanese have had something of a love affair with Louis Vuitton, which is why the Louis Vuitton Store is usually packed wall-to-wall with shoppers. Meant to evoke a stack of clothes trunks, Jun Aoki's design features offset panels of tinted glass behind sheets of metal mesh of varying patterns, creating a fabric-like effect.
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National Diet Building
Built on a site once inhabited by feudal lords, the National Diet was completed in 1936 with its landmark pyramid-shaped dome. The chambers - the Shūgi-in or House of Representatives (the Upper House) and the Sangi-in or House of Councillors (the Lower House) - have been the scene of fist fights and wrestling matches over the occasional hot-button issue. Recently things have been a bit more tame, though you can still take in the occasional hot-tempered plenary session.
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Nicholai Cathedral
This Russian Orthodox cathedral is named for St Nicholai of Japan (1836-1912), who first arrived as chaplain of the Russian consulate in the port city of Hakodate (Hokkaidō), and through missionary work soon amassed about 30,000 faithful. The Tokyo building, complete with a distinctive onion dome, was first constructed in 1891.
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Nihombashi
Even with the bronze lions guarding it, you could be forgiven for walking right past this granite bridge under an expressway, where Chūō-dōri meets Nihombashi-gawa. Still, it bears mention for its historic significance. Nihombashi ('Japan bridge') was the point from which all distances were measured during the Edo period, the beginning of the great trunk roads (the Tōkaidō, the Nikkō Kaidō etc) that took daimyō (feudal lords) between Edo and their home provinces.
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Prada Aoyama
Of course you could shop here, but you can also ogle the gorgeous, convex glass bubbles of the exterior. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, this is one of Aoyama's sexier organic-looking structures.
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Prada Aoyama Building
Designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. The resulting building is a weirdly organic, bubble-surfaced crystal of a venue in which the goods almost play a secondary role. The exterior itself is stunning, with its panels of convex glass, but the design of the interior's six floors almost deceives the senses into seeing the space as a seamless whole.
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Roppongi Hills
Opened in 2003 to an incredible amount of fanfare, Roppongi Hills was the dream of real-estate developer Mori Minoru, who long envisioned a transformation of Roppongi. Since then, an incredible amount of lofty praise has been vaulted at the complex, which is arguably the most architecturally arresting sight in Tokyo.
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Sensō-Ji
With its pagoda and shrines nearby, Sensōji is one of Tokyo's most popular sights. It lies in the heart of Asakusa and serves as a community temple. As you reach Hōzōmon, the second gate leading into the temple itself, have a look at the Five-Storeyed Pagoda to the left, the second-tallest in Japan.
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Shibuya Crossing
Across from Hacikō plaza is arguably one of the coolest intersections you will ever see in your life. Made famous in the West following Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, Shibuya Crossing is remarkable for its throngs of people, blazing neon lights and enormous video screens, which sometimes display live videos of the street scene below. The sheer energy of the place is enough to stop you dead in your tracks while you loudly proclaim to yourself, 'Wow - I'm in Tokyo!'
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Spiral Building
Its asymmetrical, geometric shape may not look very sinuous on the outside, but the Spiral Building's name will make more sense upon entry. The 1st-floor gallery features changing exhibits, shows, dining and live music. Check out the shop on the 2nd floor for art books, jewellery, washi and stylishly designed loot.
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Tod's
The Tokyo home of Italian footwear designer Tod's is one of the most distinguished buildings in Aoyama. Wrapped in glass and supporting beams whose shapes reflect the winter-bared branches of the Zelkova trees along Omote-sandō, architect Toyo Ito's structure makes a statement while echoing the elements of its environment.
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Tokyo Big Sight
Odaiba is full of oddball architecture and Tokyo Big Sight (officially known as Tokyo International Exhibition Hall) is no exception - appropriate, since it's the semi-annual venue for Tokyo's coolest design festival, Design Festa. Look for the upside-down pyramids of the conference tower rising above the exhibition complex.
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Tokyo City View
There are observatories atop other tall buildings in town, but none can match Roppongi Hills for its central location and undeniable 'cool factor'.
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Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices
Known as Tokyo Tochō, this grey granite complex designed by Tange Kenzō has stunning, distinctive architecture and great views from the observatories (03 5320 7890) on the 45th floor of the twin towers of Building 1. On a clear day, look west for a glimpse of Mt Fuji. Back on the ground, stand in the Citizens Plaza and look up at Building 1 and see if it does not remind you of a computer-chip version of the great cathedrals of Europe.
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Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower, which currently serves as the city's principal radio and TV broadcasting tower, proudly bills itself as the world's highest self-supporting steel tower, and the tallest man-made structure in Japan. Though with the planned 2011 opening of the Sumida Tower in Asakusa, it's likely that Tokyo Tower's days of fame are numbered.
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Tōshōgū
Established in 1627, this shrine has the distinction of being one of the few extant early Edo structures, having survived the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, WWII destruction and other historical disasters. The intricate decoration and the architecture of the shrine, typical to other Tōshōgū shrines throughout Japan, and the a-typical copper lanterns lining the path, are well worth the price of admission.
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Yasukuni-Jinja (Yasukuni Shrine)
If you've kept up on international headlines in previous years, you might recall several news stories about China, Korea and other Asian nations taking to the streets every time a Japanese politician (such as former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi) visited Yasukuni-jinja. Literally 'For the Peace of the Country Shrine', Yasukuni is the memorial shrine to Japan's war dead, some 2.5 million souls who died in combat.
Showing 1-25 of 25 results
