Pix4Japan: Shinagawa Intercity

2025-07-16

Shinagawa Intercity

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Glass and Steel Landmark from the ‘90s: Tower A of the Shinagawa Intercity Complex・楕円形の品川ランドマーク「品川インターシティＡ棟」

The oval-shaped glass exterior of this high-rise caught my eye as I headed back to Shinagawa Station.

Tower A is the tallest of the three towers in the Shinagawa Intercity high-rise office complex. Rising 32 stories to 145 meters (474 feet), it has stood as a landmark on the Shinagawa skyline since 1998.

When it was completed, Tower A was considered one of Tokyo’s most distinctive skyscrapers and a symbol of modern business in Japan. Equipped with state-of-the-art building systems and advanced communication infrastructure, it seemed designed to attract international tech startups and forward-looking companies.

Although it was among Tokyo’s tallest buildings at the time, today Tower A is overshadowed by much taller skyscrapers such as the 65-story Mori JP Tower, which soars to 327 meters (1,073 feet).

While I am impressed by the feats of engineering that allow such tall structures to exist in a land of typhoons, volcanoes, and powerful earthquakes, I find myself more deeply drawn to smaller-scale architecture. The stone and wood craftsmanship of older buildings from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa eras still captivates me in a way that even the most imposing glass towers cannot.