JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower

A 32-storey, 167.31-metre complex completed in March 2016 above the tracks at Shinjuku Station's south exit. Built by JR East, it incorporates Busta Shinjuku — Tokyo's principal long-distance bus terminal — within its lower floors, demonstrating how railway operators can activate air rights above active lines.

Use

Office tower

Area

Shinjuku

Completed

2016

Floors

32 above ground

Height

167.31 m

Developer

East Japan Railway Company (JR East)

Architect

JR East Architectural Design Office

A Tower Built Over the Tracks

JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower was completed in March 2016 as a 32-storey complex rising 167.31 metres above the south side of Shinjuku Station. Its official address is Sendagaya 5-chome, Shibuya Ward — despite bearing the “Shinjuku” name, the plot straddles the administrative boundary between Shinjuku and Shibuya. The building was developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and designed by JR East Architectural Design Office.

The construction method is as notable as the programme: an artificial deck was built above the active railway tracks south of Shinjuku Station, and the tower was erected on top of it. This air-rights approach had been used elsewhere in Japan but rarely at this scale directly over a major station. The lower floors are occupied by Busta Shinjuku — the Shinjuku South Exit Traffic Terminal — which serves as the hub for intercity and express buses across Japan. The terminal infrastructure was invested in by the national government, while JR East developed the upper commercial and office floors: a public–private split that made the project financially viable while delivering a genuine public benefit.

The commercial floors house NEWoMaN Shinjuku, a fashion retail complex, above the bus decks, with offices occupying the upper portion of the tower. From the Shinjuku Southern Terrace and the adjacent elevated pedestrian deck, the tower provides a spatial anchor for the southern end of Shinjuku Station — an area that had long felt incomplete relative to the west and east exits. Stepping out from the retail floors onto the bus deck, with Yamanote Line trains sliding past below, gives a vivid sense of how layered the infrastructure beneath Shinjuku has become.

Summary

JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower was completed in March 2016 with 32 floors and a height of 167.31 metres. Built on an artificial deck over active railway tracks and housing Busta Shinjuku as its transport anchor, it represents one of the more technically ambitious redevelopments of a major Tokyo station’s underused air rights. The pairing of a national bus terminal with retail, office, and a striking new pedestrian plaza makes the south exit of Shinjuku Station a destination in its own right.

Related: Cocoon Tower (Mode Gakuen) / Shinjuku Park Tower

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