Tokyu Kabukicho Tower

Tokyu Kabukicho Tower
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower in 2023
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeMixed-use
Architectural stylePostmodern
LocationKabukichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35°41′45″N 139°42′2″E
Construction started1 August 2019
Completed11 January 2023
Opened14 April 2023
OwnerTokyu Recreation and Tokyu Corporation
Height225 m (738 ft)
Technical details
Structural systemSteel
Reinforced concrete
Floor count48
Floor area87,421 m2 (940,990 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firmYuko Nagayama & Associates
Kume Sekkei
DeveloperShimizu Corporation
Website
tokyu-kabukicho-tower.jp

Tokyu Kabukicho Tower (東急歌舞伎町タワー, Tōkyū Kabukichō Tawā) is a 48-storey skyscraper located in the Kabukichō district of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The 225 m (738 ft) tower was designed by Yuko Nagayama & Associates and developed by Shimizu Corporation. It was completed in 2023 as Japan's 19th tallest building.

Overview

Formerly known as Shinjuku Tokyu Milano Plan, the project's official name was announced by Tokyu Corporation on 18 November 2021. Unlike the nearby office and residential buildings, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower is centred on entertainment and recreational facilities, featuring movie theatres, hotels and art installations.

Development took place on a 4,603 m2 (49,550 sq ft) lot near the former Shinjuku Koma Theater. Construction began on 1 August 2019 and was completed on 11 January 2023; the opening was held on 14 April 2023.

Design

Tokyu Kabukicho Tower as seen from the Yamanote Line

The building is divided into three layers according to the purpose of the facility: lower, middle and upper. In order to form a continuous skyline, the height of the building was set at approximately 225 m (738 ft) to match the high-rise buildings in Nishi-Shinjuku, while its base was set at approximately 110 m (360 ft) to match the height of the buildings around Kabukichō. On the first and second floors, an east–west passageway is provided to ensure continuity in the central district, while an outdoor screen and stage are set up facing the Cine City Square.

Architect Yuko Nagayama was in charge of the design. Inspired by the former water fountain of Kani-gawa and by the Buddhist goddess of water, the tower was designed with the image of a fountain, while the upper part expresses the force of water stretching to the sky.

Tokyu Kabukicho Tower is Japan's first skyscraper designed by a woman.

Facilities

Entrance of the tower

Lower floors

Tokyu Kabukicho Tower's lower floors feature two theatres operated by TST Entertainment: the Zepp Shinjuku from basement floors 1 to 4, which accommodates 1500 people, and the Theater Milano-Za on floors 6–8, with a total of 900 seats. Occupying three floors lies the Zero Tokyo, Japan's largest night entertainment facility.

The Shinjuku Kabuki Hall, an entertainment food hall by Hamakura Shoten Seisakusho, is located on the second floor. On the tower's third floor, Bandai Namco Amusements holds an amusement centre, Namco Tokyo (officially stylized namco TOKYO), that features events with anime, manga and video game characters. On the fourth floor, there is an attraction by Sony Music Entertainment called "The Tokyo Matrix". A luxury wellness facility, "Existion", is operated by Milano 05 on the fifth floor.

Middle floors

The 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku is located on floors 9 and 10, featuring 752 seats.

Upper floors

The upper floors feature two hotels. Hotel Groove Shinjuku is located on floors 17–38. Bellustar Tokyo, a hotel by Singapore-based Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts (at one time owned by Tokyu), lies on floors 39–47, offering a three-storey atrium restaurant on the building's 45th, 46th and 47th floor.

See also