Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building — Chiyoda City, Tokyo
Photo: MaedaAkihiko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A Digital Archive of Japanese Architecture
ARCHITECTURE JAPAN — A journey through Japan's iconic architecture.
A journey through Japan's iconic architecture.
Recording and discovering
the architecture of Japan.
Introduction
From a single photograph to the era that shaped a building, the ideas of its designer, and the memory of its city.
ARCHITECTURE JAPAN is a digital archive documenting Japan's finest architecture, from temples more than a thousand years old to the newest skyscrapers. Data such as completion year, architect and height are published only when verified in public sources, and every page cites its references. Photographs are freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons, each credited with its photographer and licence.
- Buildings
- 47buildings
- Areas
- 13areas
- Categories
- 16categories
- Architects
- 21architects
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Shibuya City, Tokyo
Tokyo Skytree
Sumida City, Tokyo
Kiyomizu-dera
Kyoto (Higashiyama Ward), Kyoto Prefecture
The National Museum of Western Art
Taitō City, Tokyo
State Guest House, Akasaka Palace
Minato City, Tokyo
Umeda Sky Building
Osaka (Kita Ward), Osaka Prefecture
Sendai Mediatheque
Sendai (Aoba Ward), Miyagi Prefecture
Osaka Castle Main Tower
Osaka (Chūō Ward), Osaka Prefecture
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
Shinjuku City, Tokyo
Byōdō-in Phoenix Hall
Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture
Wako Main Building
Chūō City, Tokyo
Itsukushima Shrine
Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Shinjuku City, Tokyo
Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
ACROS Fukuoka
Fukuoka (Chūō Ward), Fukuoka Prefecture
Hotel New Grand
Yokohama (Naka Ward), Kanagawa Prefecture
Omotesando Hills
Shibuya City, Tokyo
Sapporo Clock Tower
Sapporo (Chūō Ward), Hokkaido
Abeno Harukas
Osaka (Abeno Ward), Osaka Prefecture
Landmarks of Japanese Architecture
From the work of internationally acclaimed architects to the station that marked the dawn of modern Japan — the masterpieces to visit first.
All buildingsExplore by Area
From Hokkaido to Okinawa, each region's climate and history have shaped an architecture of its own.
All areas- HokkaidoHokkaido2 buildingsThe northern land, where Western-style buildings of the pioneer era remain.
- TōhokuTohoku1 buildingsCentred on Sendai, the City of Trees, with masterpieces of contemporary architecture.
- TokyoTokyo23 buildingsThe capital, a microcosm of Japanese architectural history from the modern era to the present.
- KantōKanto3 buildingsLed by the port city of Yokohama, where the history of the open port coexists with skyscrapers.
- HokurikuHokuriku1 buildingsCastle-town culture and museum architecture that draws the world's attention.
- TōkaiTokai1 buildingsA region of castles and industry, centred on Nagoya.
- KyotoKyoto4 buildingsLayers of temple and contemporary architecture in the thousand-year capital.
- OsakaOsaka3 buildingsA skyline of castle and skyscrapers rising from "the nation's kitchen".
- KansaiKansai3 buildingsWorld Heritage timber architecture and castles in Nara and Hyōgo.
- ChūgokuChugoku2 buildingsShrine halls floating on the sea, and postwar architecture that prays for peace.
- ShikokuShikoku1 buildingsCastle towns with surviving original keeps, and the landscapes of the Seto Inland Sea.
- KyushuKyushu2 buildingsGreat castles, and contemporary architecture that layers greenery onto the city.
- OkinawaOkinawa1 buildingsThe gusuku, stone-walled castles of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Tokyo districts
Tokyo Districts
Interlude
A thousand years of timber,
a century of modernism.
Japanese architecture has layered the techniques and ideas of each era upon the last. Temples framed in hinoki cypress and towers of steel and glass — that both stand side by side in the same city is the true richness of Japan's urban landscape.
Himeji Castle姫路城Photo: Nikos Kitsakis, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Explore by Category
From skyscrapers to castles, temples, shrines and museums — explore Japanese architecture by building type.
All categories
01Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers10
02Offices
Offices10
03Residences
Residences3
04Hotels
Hotels5
- 05
Commercial
Commercial5
06Art Museums
Art Museums4
- 07
Museums
Museums1
- 08
Stations
Stations2
09Public Architecture
Public Buildings10
- 10
Historic Buildings
Historic Buildings23
11Temples
Temples5
12Shrines
Shrines2
- 13
Castles
Castles6
14Modern Heritage
Modern Architecture16
15Contemporary
Contemporary Architecture14
- 16
Cultural Venues
Cultural Facilities9
Explore by Architect
The architects who opened new eras. Read architecture through their ideas and their defining works.
All architects- Kenzo TangeKenzo Tange1913–2005The architect who brought postwar Japanese architecture to the world stageYoyogi National Gymnasium ／ Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building ／ St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo
- Kingo TatsunoKingo Tatsuno1854–1919Of the first generation that rooted Western architecture in Meiji JapanTokyo Station Marunouchi Building ／ Nara Hotel
- Toyo ItoToyo Ito1941–Giving form to fluid space through lightweight structureSendai Mediatheque
- SANAASANAA (Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa)1995–Transparent, flat architecture that dissolves boundaries21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
- Tadao AndoTadao Ando1941–The architect of exposed concrete and lightOmotesando Hills
Features
Walk, read and reflect on architecture. Themed features exploring the buildings of Japan.
All storiesFeature 01 — 2026.09.01
Ten Defining Works of Contemporary Tokyo Architecture
Ten Contemporary Icons of Tokyo
A ship of glass, an undulating wall, a tower reaching into the sky. Ten buildings that have shaped Tokyo since the 1990s, traced alongside the city's transformation.
Read the storyFeature 02 — 2026.08.20
Walking the Architecture of Marunouchi
A Walk Through Marunouchi
Feature 03 — 2026.08.05
Japan's Beautiful Station Architecture
Japan's Beautiful Stations
Feature 04 — 2026.07.18
A Journey Through Postwar Japanese Architecture
Postwar Japanese Architecture
Feature 05 — 2026.07.02
Tokyo Architecture by Night
Tokyo Architecture After Dark
Feature 06 — 2026.06.15
Kyoto: Tradition and Contemporary Architecture
Kyoto: Tradition Meets the Contemporary
Editors' Selection
Japanese architecture worth visiting now, chosen by our editors. This is not a ranking based on page views.
View selection- Editors' Selection No.1
Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building
東京駅丸の内駅舎
Red brick banded with white stone. A Taishō-era station, restored as the gateway to the capital.
- Location
- Tokyo
- Year
- 1914
- Architect
- Kingo Tatsuno, Manji Kasai
- Editors' Selection No.2
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
国立代々木競技場
The curves of 1964, drawn by a suspended roof. A pinnacle of postwar Japanese architecture.
- Location
- Tokyo
- Year
- 1964
- Architect
- Kenzo Tange
- Editors' Selection No.3
Tokyo International Forum
東京国際フォーラム
A vast glass hall shaped like a ship's keel. An urban lobby open to Marunouchi.
- Location
- Tokyo
- Year
- 1996
- Architect
- Rafael Viñoly
- Editors' Selection No.4
Himeji Castle
姫路城
A cluster of white-plastered keeps, like a white heron spreading its wings. Japan's first World Heritage Site.
- Location
- Hyōgo Prefecture
- Year
- 1609
- Editors' Selection No.5
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
金沢21世紀美術館
A circle with no front or back. A museum open to the city, like a park.
- Location
- Ishikawa Prefecture
- Year
- 2004
- Architect
- SANAA (Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa)
- Yoyogi National GymnasiumYoyogi National Gymnasium
- Tokyo SkytreeTokyo Skytree
- Kiyomizu-deraKiyomizu-dera
- The National Museum of Western ArtThe National Museum of Western Art
- State Guest House, Akasaka PalaceState Guest House, Akasaka Palace
- Umeda Sky BuildingUmeda Sky Building
- Sendai MediathequeSendai Mediatheque
- Osaka Castle Main TowerOsaka Castle Main Tower
Watch Architecture
We have selected videos that convey the appeal of each building from footage published by official facility channels, local governments, construction companies and news organisations. Videos are quoted using YouTube's embed feature.
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