is a 60-story,
mixed-use
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...
located in
Ikebukuro
is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second larges ...
,
Toshima, Tokyo
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, ...
, adjoining the
Sunshine City complex. At the time of its completion in 1978, the 239.7 m (786 ft) building was the tallest in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, a title it held until 1985 when it was surpassed by the
63 Building
The 63 Building ( ko, 63빌딩), officially called 63 SQUARE (formerly Hanwha 63 City), is a skyscraper on Yeouido island, overlooking the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. At 249 meters (817 ft) high, it was the tallest building outside No ...
in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
. Sunshine 60 was also the
tallest building in Tokyo and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
until the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
The , also referred to as the for short, is the seat of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs the special wards, cities, towns, and villages that constitute the Tokyo Metropolis.
Located in Shinjuku ward, the building was designed ...
was completed in 1991,
and housed the world's fastest elevators (at ) until the opening of the
Yokohama Landmark Tower
The is the third tallest building and 5th tallest structure in Japan, standing high. Until surpassed by Abeno Harukas in 2012, it stood as the tallest building in Japan. It is located in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama city, nex ...
in 1993;
Mitsubishi Electric
, established on 15 January 1921, is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi. The products from MELCO include elevators an ...
installed the elevators at the former's highest-rise bank as well as the latter, and
Mitsubishi Estate
is one of the largest real-estate developers in Japan and is involved in property management and architecture research and design.
As of 2018, Mitsubishi Estate has the most valuable portfolio in the Japanese real estate industry, with a total ...
owns both buildings.
Construction
Sunshine 60's foundation is made of
reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...
. The lower segment of the building is also reinforced concrete with a
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...
skeleton. The upper tower is a steel skeleton with "slitted shear walls". These unique walls were inserted between columns in the core, allowing the walls to conform to deformations in the steel frame caused by
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
s and
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizont ...
helping to assure structural integrity. A rigid framing structural system creates the frame. Mechanical equipment is located directly above the core of the structure on its rooftop.
Sunshine 60 was erected over the site of the destroyed
Sugamo Prison
Sugamo Prison (''Sugamo Kōchi-sho'', Kyūjitai: , Shinjitai: ) was a prison in Tokyo, Japan. It was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima ward of Tokyo, Japan.
History
Sugamo Prison was originally built ...
, famously used to hold senior Japanese
war criminals during the
occupation. On December 23, 1948, seven high-ranking, convicted war criminals (including former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...
) were hanged at the prison. It was also the site of the hanging of Soviet spy
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge (russian: Рихард Густавович Зорге, Rikhard Gustavovich Zorge; 4 October 1895 – 7 November 1944) was a German-Azerbaijani journalist and Soviet military intelligence officer who was active before and during Wo ...
during the war. In popular modern lore, the area is rumored to be haunted.
Facilities
As a mixed-use high-rise, Sunshine 60's space is used for a variety of purposes. Floors 1 through 9 are used as commercial space and house a post office, banks, showrooms, cafeterias, a health care center and a day care center. Office space occupies floors 10 through 57. Restaurants are located on the 58th and 59th floors.
From the 60th floor, visitors can see as far as 100 km on a clear day from Sunshine 60's
observation deck
An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclo ...
(admission fee up to ¥620). To get visitors to the observation deck quickly, the observation deck bank of the tower's 40 elevators takes passengers directly from the lobby at a speed of 600 meters per minute (36 km/h, 22 mph). Between its opening and 1993 (the opening of
Yokohama Landmark Tower
The is the third tallest building and 5th tallest structure in Japan, standing high. Until surpassed by Abeno Harukas in 2012, it stood as the tallest building in Japan. It is located in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama city, nex ...
), the observation deck elevators were the fastest in the world.
Office tenants
The office floors house the headquarters of
Credit Saison
, commonly known as or simply , is a Japanese financial services company affiliated to Mizuho Financial Group. Founded in 1951, Credit Saison is the 3rd largest credit card issuer with over 20 million cardholders in Japan, behind JCB and Vi ...
,
FamilyMart
is a Japanese convenience store franchise chain. It is Japan's second largest convenience store chain, behind 7-Eleven. There are now 24,574 stores worldwide in Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its ...
,
NTT Plala and
Sammy Corporation
is a Japanese developer and retailer of pachinko and pachislot machines, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its South Korean office, Sammy Amusement Service, is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Sammy is a subsidiary of the entertainment cong ...
, among other office tenants.
Image gallery
See also
*
Sunshine City
*
Ancient Orient Museum
The is a small private museum in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in artifacts of the ancient Near East and Central Asia. It has a collection of Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and several works of art pertaining to the art of Palmyra and Persia.
Lo ...
References
External links
Official site
, -
, -
{{Tokyo Skyscrapers
Ikebukuro
Office buildings completed in 1978
Skyscraper office buildings in Tokyo
Retail buildings in Tokyo
1978 establishments in Japan
Buildings and structures in Toshima