Located between Tokyo and Yūrakuchō Stations, the Forum is truly one of Tokyo's architectural marvels. Architect Rafael Viñoly won Japan's first international architecture competition with his design that matches a building with this sort-of-trapezoidal lot, hemmed in by train tracks on the east side. Completed in 1996, the land had previously been the site of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices, which moved to their present location in Shinjuku .

The glass eastern wing looks like a fantastic ship plying the urban waters, while the west wing is a cavernous space of vaulted steel and glass. At night, the glass hall is lit up by hundreds of precisely placed beams, and takes on the appearance of a space colony. Although it's used principally for its meeting halls and convention venues, for the casual visitor there are restaurants, cafés and shops throughout.