Contemporary architecture Tōkyo & Area

The two buildings designed by Minoru Takeyama were built in 1969 and 1970, and have become symbols of architectural post-modernism. The facade of the Ichibankan, which was renovated a few years ago, is clad with white and black stripes. Originally, 49 bars occupied the 8 floors of the building. As for Nibankan, it used to host bars and saunas, but is now falling into disrepair. It can be recognized by the large, colourful graphic signs on its façade.

The "giant 3D cat", located at Shinjuku's eastern exit, suddenly appeared in July 2021. His adorable silhouette spread around the world via videos on social networks. He is the main character of Cross Shinjuku Vision, a sophisticated video content that makes skilful use of 3D illusion. This fictional character has been picked up by foreign media as a typically Japanese line of humor, and is filmed daily by many people. The giant 3D cat can be seen on the official YouTube website.