The Tallest buildings in Japan

東京スカイツリー（東京都墨田区）。By Kakidai – Own work, Wikipedia

The Tallest buildings in Japan

This article intends to list the tallest buildings that are found in Japan. They at least stand at 190 meters tall based on the height measurements, it also includes spires and architectural details.   Japan’s skyscrapers are relatively shorter compared to other Asian countries, they have super tall skyscraper that exceeds 400 meters in height.

The following are the tallest buildings in Japan;

1. Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo.  In 2010, it became the tallest structure in Japan with a full height of 634 meters and in March 2011, it was the tallest tower in the world surpassing the Canton Tower. It is also the tallest freestanding structure in the OECD, the G20, and G7 countries.

Its construction was completed on the leap day 29 February 2012, with the tower opening to the public on22 May 2012. It is the centerpiece of a large commercial development funded by Tobu Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters that are headed by NHK.

Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower in the district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was built in 1958, it is the second-tallest structure in Japan at 332.9 meters tall. It is an Eiffel Tower that was inspired by the Lattice tower.

It generates its main source of income from tourism and antenna leasing. It has over 150 million people have visited the tower. It houses museums, restaurants, and shops. The tower is usually repainted every 5 years which takes almost a year to complete the process.

3. Abeno Harukas

Photograph of the northwest side view of “Abeno Harukas” skyscraper, reconstruction of Abenobashi Terminal Building, in Abeno-Ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
By J o, Wikipedia

At 300 meters tall, Abeno Harukas in Osaka will be the tallest building standing on top of the Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi station and it is located across from JR Tennoji station. It houses a department store, an art museum, a hotel, and an observation deck.

In 2010 when the reconstruction of the building commenced and it was opened in 2014. It is therefore the tallest building in Japan. The name of the skyscraper ”Abeno Harukas” originated from a Japanese word that means ”to brighten or to clear up”

4.Yokohama Landmark Tower

It is the second tallest building and 4th tallest structure in Japan, at a 296.3m high. It was surpassed by Abeno Harukas in 2012, it stood as the tallest building in Japan. It is located in Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama city which is next to the Yokohama Museum of art.

It contains a five-star hotel that occupies about 49-70 floors with 603 rooms. The building was designed by the architecture and engineering division of Mitsubishi Estate, which is now Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei and Hugh Stubbins and Associates.

5. Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building

It is also known as Cosmo tower. It is the second tallest building in Osaka and the third-tallest building in Japan. It was previously known as the Osaka World Trade Center Building or WTC Cosmo Tower, until June 2010.

It is located in Nanko Cosmo Square near the Osaka harbor and is the same height as the Rinku Gate Tower Building in Rinku Town. It was built in 1995. The 52-story building is 256m high and is topped by a sky lobby. The building contains three basement floors which contain, a museum, restaurants, an observation deck, office space, and a conference room. It also houses trade offices for companies around the world and a working office for the governor of Osaka prefecture.

6. Rinku Gate Tower Building

Photograph of Rinku Gate Tower Building in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
by J o, Wikipedia

It is a 256-meter tall skyscraper that is located in Rinku Town, Izumisano, Osaka Japan. It was completed in August 1996. It was designed by Nikken Sekkei and Yasui architects and engineers. It is now the third tallest building in Japan after the Abenobashi Terminal building and Yokohama Landmark Tower.

It houses offices, shopping malls, retail, a department store, the Star Gate Hotel Kansai Airport hotel, and an observation deck that features a 360-degree view over the airport. the Kansai Kokusai bridge and the Rinku Carnival.

7. Toranomo Hills

It is a skyscraper complex project that was built by the Mori Building in the Toranomo district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed by Nihon Sekkei. It is the tallest building in Tokyo with an architectural height of 255.5m surpassing Midtown Tower.

It also has a mascot called Toranomo that was developed by Fujiko Pro, it owns the rights to the Japanese manga character Doraemon. The building contains the Government Pension Investment Fund, which is the world’s largest retirement fund, the headquarters of Novartis and State Street Corporation, the Law Firm of K&L Gates, and Arcelor Mittal’s

8. Midtown Tower

Midtown Tower is a mixed-use skyscraper in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It was completed in 2007  and it is the tallest building within the Tokyo Midtown complex at 248.1 meters. It was the tallest office building in Tokyo until 2014 when Toranomo Hill was completed.

The building was designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill with the help of Nikken Sekkei Ltd and was built by Takenaka and Taisei Corporations. It is a mixed-used facility, it houses many conference rooms, Tokyo Midtown Design Hub, a gallery, and space for exhibitions, it also houses a Tokyo Midtown Medical Center.

9. Midland Square

Midland Square is also referred to as Toyota-Mainichi Building. It is a skyscraper that is located in the Meieki district of Nakamura-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. It is the tallest building in Nagoya and the fifth tallest building in Japan according to 2015 at 247m tall, it is also slightly taller than JR Central Towers.

10. JR Central Tower

JR Central Towers, By Kansai explorer, Wikipedia

JR Central Tower is located in Nakamura-Ku in the city of Nagoya, Central Japan. It serves as the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company. It was built in 2000 and it is the second-tallest building in Nagoya according to 2015, it was the eighth-tallest overall in Japan. It is also the world’s largest train station complex by floor area.