TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING
Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Building is probably the best observation deck in Tokyo.
Best of all the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation
deck is free.
The Tokyo
Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎 Tōkyō Tochōsha), "Tocho" for
short, or Tokyo City Hall is the location of the headquarters of the
government of not only the 23 wards that people think of as the
"city" of Tokyo, but also the cities, towns and villages that
comprise Tokyo as a whole.
Tokyo
Metropolitan Government Building
Located in
Nishi-Shinjuku, it is the tallest
building in Tokyo at 248 meters (814 feet) from base to top, and the
second-tallest structure after Tokyo Tower.
The two top-floor observation decks are free of charge to the
public. It is only a short walk from
Shinjuku Station. Given that it is free to use the observation
decks and has fewer tall buildings built around, the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government Building is the best observation deck in
Tokyo to use. Other observation decks in Tokyo include the one in
Roppongi Hills, where again a
significant charge applies.
Viewing Tips -
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
I strongly
recommend visiting the observation when it opens in the morning as
this is the time when you will have the best opportunity of viewing
Mount Fuji. At this time of
day the sun will be behind you, the air will be colder and thus
there will be less dust and smog in the air to block your view of
Mount Fuji and the other
mountains in the range.
Tokyo Skyline
Photographic Tips -
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
If you wish to photograph Tokyo from this vantage point then the
following tips may help you.
- Reduce internal
reflection from the glass by covering the space between the lenses and
the window glass with something like a jacket to block out the light
getting on the window glass.
- Place the lenses
as close to the window as possible without touching and allowing for
lenses movement for zooming and focusing.
- In the day, use a
relatively short depth of field to keep any image on the window out of
focus, but allow enough for any close buildings to be in focus. This can
be achieved by increasing the shutter speed on most compact cameras.
- For night time,
ideally you would use a tripod or something to rest the camera on as the
exposure will need to long. TURN OFF the flash. Observe point two. If
available use a high ISO setting or night time/starlight setting on a
compact camera.
Structure
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
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 45 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 supposed
to looks like 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.
Finished in 1991 at the expense of 157 billion yen (about $US 1
billion) of public money, a popular nickname for Tocho is "Tax
Tower."
The other two buildings in the complex are 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.
Tokyo
Metropolitan Government Building
Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Building In fiction
As one of the
distinguishing landmarks of Tokyo, the building often features in
anime
In Digimon Tamers, the building houses the headquarters of the
secretive government organisation, Hypnos.
In X/1999, the basement of the building is headquarters for the Chi
No Ryu and houses the giant computer "Beast".
In the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig episode Excavation, Togusa
discovers a nefarious excavation under the building in submerged
pre-war Tokyo.
(Article
based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
|
