Cocoon Tower Shinjuku’s newest skyscraper
December 4, 2008 · Print This Article
I thought that Cocoon Tower was just a nickname. However, when I saw “COCOON TOWER” over the main entrance, it hit me that that was really the name of Shinjuku’s newest skyscraper. Thus the 17th tallest building in Tokyo (sounds sad) is named after something that could also be the name of Mothra’s egg receptacle. Since I’ve lived in the heart of Shinjuku for over five years, such a radical change to my daily view of the city takes some getting used to. The design of Cocoon Tower is not something one can come to an opinion on upon first viewing. It is at once totally out of place among Shinjuku’s other more staid skyscrapers, but also maybe a welcome shake up to the skyline.
The cocoon moniker is deserved, as both the building’s shape and outer glass facade have a fairly convincing resemblance to a high-tech cocoon. On sunny days the glass of this facade has a blue hue to it. On overcast days or in shadow, it appears gray. If the curves of the building are unpleasing when viewed from afar, a close-up and straight-up view will reveal some elegant curves that soar all the way up to its summit.
For some reason Cocoon Tower was given a companion triangle-checkered globe. As cool as it looks from the outside, on the inside it is stark, sterile and on the day I visited, boring. The above photo is the view from the inside out of the globe’s triangular window pattern.
It never occurred to me to go to the top of the tower on the multiple trips I made to compile the photographs for the gallery below.
COCOON TOWER PHOTO GALLERY:
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I think it looks pretty cool.
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Jason Collin Reply:
December 4th, 2008 at 11:10 AM
I may have to finally decide one way or the other in my mind about this building, and I think I’ll end up agreeing with you.
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This building was almost my first impression of Tokyo since we came in on the Shinkansen and took the train to Shinjuku where we were staying. I completely fell in love with it. It is architecture as sculpture – the good kind that makes you want to touch it!
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Jason Collin Reply:
December 4th, 2008 at 11:11 AM
Wow, your first impression of Tokyo? I wonder if the designers of the building knew that would be the case for many people when they chose that design. It would certainly give one a much different impression I think than people who visited before it was built.
Did you actually touch it??
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Danielle Reply:
December 5th, 2008 at 12:43 AM
I did take a break on a pylon in front of the station at one point and gazed up at it for at least 20minutes while I waited for hubby to go hunting for something. I had a high fever at the time and I was definitely communing with it but I’d rather not divulge the content
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Cocoon! Just saw you took shots of it. Is on my schedule to go shoot it also. Nice- will have to aim to take different shots than you.
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I sure hope Mothra was in that Cocoon.
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Jason Collin Reply:
December 5th, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Love your gravatar Koichi. I for one, never believed that Mothra and her two worms could ever defeat Godzilla.
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Koichi Reply:
December 6th, 2008 at 6:55 AM
I know, right?
Mothra redeems himself in later films, at least
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My first impression of Tokyo came from the To-cho which is also a pretty amazing set of buildings.
Tokyo has so many amazing, artistic buildings on a small scale, so it’s nice to see something ambitious on a large scale. I’m not sure if it works for me either, but I respect that they tried something exciting.
Thanks for the pics as always.
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Jason Collin Reply:
December 7th, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Thanks Jei….yeah, what you said, at least they are trying something new and exciting. There is another skyscraper about 3/4th finished in Nishi-Shinjuku and so far it looks very square, figuratively and literally.
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