The Tallest Buildings in Tokyo

Tokyo is Japan’s capital city and one of the nation’s 47 prefectures. Tokyo prefecture ranks as the most populated in Japan and has 49 buildings and structures rising to more than 614 feet. Before 1963, the Building Standard Law of Japan set a height limit of 102 feet due to concerns in aesthetics and engineering. The abolition of this law saw the setting up of a Floor Area Ratio limit and the rise of skyscrapers. Tokyo has constructed seven buildings higher than 614 feet since 2013, with seven more under construction as of January 2018.

The Tallest Buildings In Tokyo

Toranomon Hills

Toranomon Hills has an architectural height of 838 feet and is considered the tallest building in Tokyo and ranking the fifth in Japan. The building sits in the district of Toranomon in Minato, Tokyo. Mori Building built the skyscraper with a steel framed structural system having 52 floors and five basement levels on a floor area of 2,630,300 square feet. Construction started in April 2011 and ended in 2014, with the building opening on June 11, 2014. The structure holds the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Hotel, which has 164 guest rooms, together with 172 private residential units and parking for 544 cars. Some of the major tenants include Government Pension Investment Fund, Japan's State Street Corporation and the K&L Gates law firm.

Midtown Tower

The sixth tallest building in Japan ranks as the second tallest in Tokyo with an architectural height of 813 feet. The skyscraper is in Akasaka, Minato, with the owner being Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd. Takenaka and Taisei Corporations started construction in 2004 and completed in 2007. Midtown Tower opened officially on March 31, 2007, and has 54 floors and five below the ground. The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo occupies the 45^th floor all the way to the 53^rd and has 248 guest rooms. The building has several conference rooms, with Tokyo Midtown Design Hub and Tokyo Midtown Medical Center taking the 5^th and 6^th floors respectively. Other tenants in the building include State Street Bank, Cisco Systems, and Yahoo! Japan.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1

The prefecture building owned by Tokyo Metropolitan Government is the third tallest in Tokyo and ranks 7^th in Japan. Standing at the height of 799 feet the building has 48 floors and three underground levels. From the 33^rd floor, the structure splits into two sections which have the building resembling a computer chip. Kenzo Tange designed the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 with a floor area of 2,107,190 square feet. Construction started in April 1988 and ended in December 1990 costing 157 billion Japanese yen. The skyscraper appeared in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah film in 1991.

Other Tall Buildings and Structures in Tokyo

Other buildings rising above 614 feet in Tokyo include Sunshine 60 and NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building, which both have an architectural height of 787 feet, completed in 1978 with 60 stories and 2000 with 27 levels respectively. Tokyo Skytree stands at 2,080 feet and is the tallest of all buildings and structures in Japan, with 32 floors completed in 2012. Completed in 1958, the Tokyo Tower is second to the Tokyo Skytree at 1,092 feet and only has seven levels. Others include the Marcus Island LORAN-C transmitter and Toshima Incineration Plant.