SS30

A 31-story, 143-meter office tower completed in 1989 in the Chuo district of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Long regarded as one of the landmark skyscrapers of the Tohoku region, it features an observation level and dining venues in its upper floors.

Use

Office tower

Area

Aoba Ward, Sendai

Completed

1989

Floors

31 above ground, 3 below

Height

143 m

Developer

Sumitomo Life Insurance

Architect

Nikken Sekkei

Tohoku’s Skyline Anchor

At Chuo 4-chome, Aoba Ward, Sendai — a 15-minute walk west of JR Sendai Station — a white tower rises 143 meters above the central business district. SS30 (Esuesu Sanjū) is a 31-story, three-basement-level office tower completed in February 1989. Designed by Nikken Sekkei and developed by Sumitomo Life Insurance, it stood as one of the tallest structures in the Tohoku region from the moment it opened.

Floors 2 through 27 are given over to offices. Floors 28 to 30 house banquet halls and restaurants, and the southern side of the 30th floor offers an observation space with views across the Sendai Plain toward the Zao mountain range. The name “SS30” references both Sendai and the tower’s thirty-story scale.

A City Growing Upward

The year 1989 coincided with Sendai’s continued rise as a regional capital — the city had been designated a government-ordinance city in 1987, consolidating its role as the administrative and commercial hub of northeast Japan. SS30 was part of that growth story, positioning itself in the heart of the central business district as Sendai’s skyline took its modern shape.

The building later acquired a naming-rights label: it is currently known as the Lawson Sendai SS30 Building, reflecting a sponsorship deal with the convenience-store chain. To residents of Sendai, however, the tower remains simply “SS30” — an enduring landmark in a city that has grown steadily around it.

Summary

SS30 is a 31-story, 143-meter office tower completed in 1989 in Sendai’s Aoba Ward. Designed by Nikken Sekkei for Sumitomo Life Insurance, it brought a genuine skyscraper presence to the Tohoku region and combined offices with dining and observation spaces in its upper floors. Visiting Sendai’s central district, look west from the station approach and you will find this white tower marking the city’s commercial core.