Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

The Tokyo Metropolitan Building is popularly known as Tokyo City Hall. It is also called 'Tocho' in short. This famous building is the headquarters of Tokyo local governments 23 wards, in addition to the cities, towns and villages that comprise Tokyo.

Getting to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Getting to this famous tower is not at all difficult. It is 15 minutes on foot from Shinjuku Station. You can get a taxi and come to Tokyo Tocho.

About the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is situated in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo. This building was the tallest building in Tokyo from 1991 to late 2006, when it had to give up its title to the Tokyo Mid-Town Tower which is 248 meters (814 feet). The Tokyo Mid Town Tower is now the tallest tower in Tokyo but the fourth tallest tower in Japan.

The height of the building is 243 meters (799 feet). The Metropolitan Buildings consist of three main buildings each taking up a city block. The tallest and the most spectacular of the three is the first building.
  -   Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.1which is 243 meters (797 ft) high with forty-eight stories above and three stories below ground.
  -   Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.2 which is 163 meters (535 ft) high with thirty-four stories above and three stories below ground.
  -   Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building is 41 meters (135 ft) high with seven stories above and one story below ground.

Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No1

The main building was completed in 1991. The design of the building no1 was modeled in accordance to the shape of a computer chip by the renowned architect Kenzo Tange. This building has many symbolic touches. But the spilt into two sections at the 33rd floor by a 48 stories tall tower is the most remarkable of all. This spilt gives the look of a Gothic Cathedral to the main building. The public observation decks on the 45th floor can be reached by an elevator in 55 seconds. This has now replaced Tokyo Tower as the premier advantage point over the entire straggling metropolis. With its gigantic twin towers gliding 243 meters above the ground, the building has been appraised it for its daring architecture and a baronial comportment befitting the administrative center in a city that commands an annual budget larger than the GNP of most nations. The total cost of constructing this building was 157 billion yen of public money which is equal to 1 billion US dollar. It is thus nicknamed as the "Tax Tower".

You can have an excellent bird's eye view of Yokohama to the southwest and Mt Fuji to the west on clear days, especially in winter.

Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building 2& 3

The other two buildings in the complex are eight-story. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building inducts one underground floor while the Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No.2, has 37 stories including three below ground.

Visiting hours

  -   North Observatory: 9:30-22:00 closed Mondays,
  -   South Observatory: 9:30-17:30 closed Tuesdays,
  -   Weekends and holidays: 9:30-19:30.

The best time you get to see the panorama of Mount Fuji is during sunset. The sunset behind Mount Fuji will surely make you spell bound. You can also drop into this place any time during winter when there is a clear sky.

Hotels in Tokyo
Mets Shibuya Hotel	The B Roppongi Hotel
Takanawa Tobu Hotel	Mitsui Garden Kamata Hotel
Astil Hotel	Daiichi Ryogoku Hotel