Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
東京都庁舎
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Prefecture building
Location	Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Construction started	1988
Completed	1991
Opening	1991
Cost	¥157 billion
Owner	Tokyo Metropolitan Government
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
Architect(s)	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, 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 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.

The two panoramic observation decks, one in each tower on floor 45 (202 meters [663 ft] high), are free of charge to the public and contain gift shops and cafes. They are open till 23:00 on weekdays. Use of cameras is permitted, but tripods are forbidden.

History

The building was finished in 1991 at the expense of ¥157 billion (about US$ 1 billion) of public money. It replaced the former Tokyo City Hall at Yūrakuchō which was built in 1957 and designed by Kenzo Tange (who also designed the said successor building). The former Tokyo City Hall is now the site of the Tokyo International Forum.

The building held the title of the tallest building (by roof height) in Tokyo, at 243 meters [797 ft], from 1991 to late 2006, when it surrendered its title upon the completion of Midtown Tower.

In popular culture

Though it has not gained the same degree of worldwide recognition as Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Skytree, 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 Digimon Tamers the building is the headquarters of the Hypnos organization, and several major battles occur at the building.
• 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.
• In X by Clamp, the headquarters of the Dragons of Earth is located beneath the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
• The building is briefly shown in The Simpsons episode "30 Minutes Over Tokyo".

See also

• List of tallest buildings and structures in Tokyo

External links

• Map showing the buildings and its neighborhood
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings
• Guide to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Tour (in Japanese)
• CityMayors.com feature
• 3D model of the building for use in Google Earth
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Complex