Feature — 2026.07.02

Tokyo Architecture by Night

Tokyo Architecture After Dark

Photo: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — Tokyo Tower

When the sun sets, architecture reveals another face. Glass that lets light through, illuminated towers, a skyline drawn by lit windows.

01Two towers

Tokyo's night view is symbolised by two towers: Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree. Built in 1958 and 2012, more than half a century apart, these broadcasting towers each trace an outline of light against the night sky with the technology of their time.

02Architecture that transmits light

At night, the steel structure inside the Glass Building of the Tokyo International Forum emerges, revealing a different aspect from the daytime. Together with the illuminated Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, whose observatories stay open into the evening, it makes for a fine architectural walk after dark.

Facts about the buildings mentioned in this article are based on the sources cited on each building page (Wikipedia, Wikidata, official websites, etc.).This description has been translated from the Japanese original.