Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku

Opened in April 2012 at the intersection of Omotesando and Meiji-dori, this seven-storey commercial complex by architect Hiroshi Nakamura (NAP Architects) is defined by its faceted mirror-glass entrance and the rooftop woodland terrace named Omohara no Mori.

Use

Office tower

Area

Shibuya City

Completed

2012

Floors

7 above ground, 2 below

Total floor area

approx. 11,855 m²

Developer

Tokyu Land Corporation

Architect

Hiroshi Nakamura / NAP Architects Co., Ltd.

A Kaleidoscope at the Crossroads

At the intersection of Omotesando and Meiji-dori in Jingumae 4-chome, Shibuya City, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku opened in April 2012. The building rises seven storeys above ground and descends two storeys below, with a gross floor area of approximately 11,855 square metres. It was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura of NAP Architects Co., Ltd., with Takenaka Corporation as general contractor.

What stops pedestrians in their tracks is the entrance zone clad in a mosaic of angled mirror panels. The facets reflect fragments of the street — passing crowds, the sky, the facades of neighbouring buildings — and shift with every change in light and angle. Moving inside, the mirrored sequence gives way to a tall atrium that opens upward, admitting daylight deep into the floor plate. The sensation of the street being folded in and carried through the building is unlike almost any other commercial complex in Tokyo.

Omohara no Mori and an Architecture That Reflects Its City

Six floors above the street, the rooftop terrace known as Omohara no Mori — “the forest of Omotesando” — offers a planted landscape of deciduous trees and seasonal wildflowers above the Harajuku roofline. The combination of a distinctive mirror-panelled facade and a green roof terrace at the summit is what makes this relatively modest-scaled building an architectural reference point in one of Tokyo’s most visited neighbourhoods.

The site sits directly above Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda and Fukutoshin Lines, and is within easy walking distance of Omotesando station. In a district where storefronts and brand installations turn over quickly, Hiroshi Nakamura’s choice of mirror as the primary material was a considered response: by reflecting its surroundings rather than asserting a fixed image, the building keeps renewing itself through the city it faces. General contractor Takenaka Corporation completed the works in 2012, bringing a new landmark to the corner of one of Tokyo’s busiest pedestrian intersections.

Summary

Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku was completed in 2012 as a seven-storey commercial complex in Jingumae, Shibuya City. Architect Hiroshi Nakamura’s mirror-panelled facade and the rooftop Omohara no Mori terrace have made this compact building one of the most-photographed landmarks on the Omotesando-to-Harajuku walking route. If you are exploring the area, pair it with a visit to Shibuya Scramble Square to trace how this district’s skyline has transformed since 2019. For hotels near Omotesando and Harajuku, Rakuten Travel offers a wide selection.