Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station Review

The work of Kingo Tatsuno, one of Japan's first modern architects, Tokyo Station was completed in 1914. Tatsuno modeled his creation on the railway station of Amsterdam. The building lost its original top story in the air raids of 1945, but was promptly repaired. In the late 1990s, a plan to demolish the station was impeded by public outcry. Inside, it has been deepened and tunneled and redesigned any number of times to accommodate new commuter lines, but the lovely old redbrick facade remains untouched. Since the hotel has now closed, one of the better attractions is the Gran. Tokyo North Tower, which opened in 2007. The 200-meter-tall (656-foot-tall) glass-and-steel office building includes a branch of the high-end department store chain Daimaru.