Tokyo International Forum

Location
Tokyo International Forum is located in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, between Tokyo Station and Yūrakuchō Station.

Architect
Rafael Viñoly

Completed
1997

Architectural Style
Contemporary civic architecture, combining glass, steel and large-scale structural expression. The building is especially known for its boat-like glass atrium and exposed steel truss structure.

Photography Tips
Tokyo International Forum is a fantastic location for architectural photography because of its sweeping curves, strong geometry and layered internal circulation. The glass atrium is especially striking when photographed from the upper walkways, where the steel structure, bridges and public spaces overlap through the frame. Late afternoon and evening can work particularly well, as the building shifts from a transparent daytime space into a glowing urban landmark. For more abstract compositions, look for the repeated ribs of the atrium, reflections in the glass, and the contrast between the vast internal scale and the smaller movement of people through the space.

The Tokyo International Forum is a spot in Tokyo I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. I’ve seen the amazing roof quite often in social media - resembling the bones of a whale.
I was staying for a few days near Tokyo Station, and the Forum is within easy walking distance, so naturally I made sure I had enough time to visit, but I didn’t realise just how much time I would end up spending here!
The first day I visited and spent a few hours exploring the space, particularly as is it was overcast, wet and cold outside!

As you enter you’re ready hit with a sense of the vast open space, with cool grey floors, warm wood panes extending up on one side, the ribs of the whale above, and maze bridges criss crossing through space, and walkways curving around the edges. I explored top to bottom, taking images as I went, building spacial awareness and orientation.

I came back on two other occasions, one at night to photograph with the interior lights and darkness outside, and again early in the morning on a clear day to see what difference sun and shadow would make.
The images above and below are from around 9:30am with strong directional light coming in from the side. I came back again in the afternoon to see what the space looked like with the sun overhead.

The interior was quite incredible, it’s such a vast open space.

I really love how the walkways around the edge can appear almost ribbon like, with the zig zag walkways almost seeming to separate the space into ‘above and below’ that can make you feel at times like you’re underwater staring up at the underside of a giant ship. The sun-shades give the impression of white sails.

The latticework and fine ribbed bones of the roof. You can see in one of the shots above and below I’ve used the reflective surface of glass panels to repeat space.

At night it took on a new feel, with the lights from within creating a new emphasis and focus.
(I was pretty exhausted after a long day so only stayed for 20 minutes or so!)

What I wasn’t expecting, was when I cam back in the early afternoon to see how the space interacted with the light, was these incredible patterns on the ground floor. The platforms and walkways provided the perfect vantage point for shooting people as they came in and out of these shadows. It then became a waiting game for the right figure to enter at the right position. I was looking for single figures with clearly defined shadows falling into light patches. These images I feel work best in a gritty black and white, giving them a timeless feel that could belong in any era.

Just as exciting as shooting hight contrast black and white, was using the colour of this beautiful warm wood against the stark light and dark greys. Again, here I was waiting for perfect single figures to move through the space.

This is one of those buildings where I’d planned to spend perhaps an hour or two, but across a number of visits across a few days I spent perhaps 5 or 6 hours getting used to the space, making images to see which angles and perspectives appealed to me, which features caught my attention, how the light worked, and how people moved through the space. It’s this act of visual exploration over a good period of time that I really enjoy. It’s a chance to get under the skin of a place, to have some idea of its essence and try to present that through images. I’m also conscious that as a tourist, even though I spent far longer than most, it takes repeated visits over many months or years to truly understand a place.