Shinjuku 新宿区 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 東京都庁舎

Recently, so much has appeared in the media about the Mori Building and its brand spanking new observation deck; however, I thought a little missive about the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and its observation deck might be of interest to those spending time in Tokyo and wanting to see this incredibly compressed city from on high.

In Shinjuku (新宿区), one of the 23 wards of Tokyo, there is a huge complex of buildings and skyscrapers, most of which are in western Shinjuku.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎), designed by architect Kenzo Tange, is the crown jewel of this huge complex of buildings with a semi-circular plaza and a 48 story building that seamlessly blends both traditional and modern design. In fact when the project was originally conceived, the architect noted that the aim was to have the building resemble an electronic circuit....what do you think?

The 48 story building, which opened in 1991, houses the administrative center of the Tokyo government. For a time it was dubbed "tax tower", because of the high cost at the time and the amount of public funds that were used to construct it - roughly $1 billion at the time.

Nothing conveys the vastness of the city like the views you'll take in from the observation deck -here's the view from the 45th floor....

Western Shinjuku

Opened daily and FREE, this spot should be on the list of things to take in during a visit to Tokyo. Enjoy.

All the best.....Mark