Photographs │ Tokyo │ Metropolitan Government Building

Completed in 1990, this building was the tallest in Japan at the time, and houses the offices of the prefecture of Tokyo. The construction was so costly that it has been called unsympathetically as the ‘tax tower’, or the ‘bubble tower’ with reference to the ‘bubble economy’ that soon after burst, as well as a play on the Tower of Babel. It’s open to visitors for free from 9:30 to 23:00, and the lift / elevator will take you to the 44th floor in 55 seconds.

The closest metro stop is Tochōmae, Toei Ōedo Line (the line is coloured magenta, and the station number is E28), however it is within the walking distance of the many Shinjuku stations.