Tokyo’s Koshimaki Style: Preserving Facades, Building Upward — Tokyo’s Art of Compromise
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| Koshimaki buildings line the front of the Imperial Palace moat, preserving the scenic view |
Just as a koshimaki, the cloth wrap in traditional Japanese dress, circles the waist, a “koshimaki building”—or “skirt building” in English—shows how this architectural style is applied to an individual structure, making a modern building appear as though it has wrapped itself in an older facade.
The nickname stuck because it captures both the visual effect and Tokyo’s dry sense of humor.
A Skyscraper in a Skirt: Tokyo Station’s JP Tower
Step out of Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi exit and you’ll see the familiar red-brick station building standing beside the gleaming glass tower of JP Tower, whose lower floors rise to roughly the same height as Tokyo Station itself.
Look closely, and you’ll notice something intriguing: the lower floors preserve the 1931 facade of the former Tokyo Central Post Office, while a brand-new skyscraper rises above it.
It looks as if the new tower is wearing an old-fashioned skirt—making JP Tower one of the most iconic examples of “skirt architecture.”
This design offers a compromise between two often competing goals:
preserving historical character and making full use of valuable urban land.
Origins: Idealism Behind the Early Skirt Projects
The idea took hold in the years after Japan’s economic bubble burst in the 1990s. Developers and planners were searching for a middle ground—something between “tear everything down” and “freeze everything in place.” Building with the past, rather than against it, gradually became an appealing solution.
What began as an idealistic proposal soon proved practical as redevelopment accelerated in Marunouchi, Otemachi, and Hibiya. Starting with JP Tower in 2012, other projects—such as Tokyo Kaikan and Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower—followed.
Over time, the approach shifted from bold architectural experiment to a safe, politically acceptable formula:
please preservationists, but still build big.
The slightly ironic nickname “skirt architecture” reflects Tokyo’s affection for its ever-changing skyline—and its willingness to laugh at its own compromises.
Between Compromise and Beauty
Skirt architecture is undeniably a compromise. In its effort to please both preservationists and developers, it sometimes results in a solution that is more symbolic than authentic—but whether one sees that as a charm is a matter of personal judgment.
Transforming a historic building freely can lead to inspired results—but it can also destroy exactly what made the original meaningful. The skirt method sits squarely between creative destruction and cautious preservation.
In that middle ground lies a distinctly Tokyo kind of understated beauty.
Walking the City Through Its “Skirts”
Once you start noticing them, Tokyo becomes even more fascinating. Whether you find them beautiful or not is for your own eyes to decide. How about exploring the city through a “Skirt Architecture Walk”?
It takes about 90 minutes from Tokyo Station to Nihonbashi—a short journey through the city’s layered urban history.
Marunouchi / Tokyo Station Area
■ JP Tower (Former Tokyo Central Post Office)
1931 / Tetsuro Yoshida → 2012 Redevelopment
A striking contrast between a preserved 1930s facade and the glass tower above. Includes retail, a museum.
■ Mitsubishi Ichigokan (Marunouchi Brick Square)
1894 / Josiah Conder → 2009 Reconstruction
The red brick Mitsubishi building was demolished but was rebuilt during the surrounding integrated redevelopment. It now serves as a museum. The Marunouchi Park Building, located across the courtyard, is a separate structure, yet it incorporates design elements inspired by the Mitsubishi Ichigokan.
In addition, the building still retains the facade of the 1928 Marunouchi Yaesu Building, creating overlapping “koshimaki”-style design features.
■ Japan Industrial Club Building
1920 / Tatsusuke Yokogawa → 2003 Redevelopment
The south facade of this historic industrial association building is preserved and integrated into a major bank’s office tower.
■ Meiji Seimei Kan (Former Yasuda Life Building)
1934 / Shinichiro Okada
A Neo-Renaissance landmark facing the Imperial Palace, positioned directly along the edge of the palace moat. Designated an Important Cultural Property and still in active corporate use.
■ Daiichi Life Hibiya First Building
1938 / Jin Watanabe → Tower addition in 1993
Former headquarters of a major life insurance company. Used as GHQ headquarters after WWII (GHQ = the Allied occupation authorities in postwar Japan). An early example of combining a prewar stone facade with a contemporary tower behind it.
Nihonbashi Area
■ Nihonbashi Mitsui Main Building & Mitsui Tower
1929 → 2005 Tower Construction
A modern tower rises beside the historic Mitsui Main Building, with its lower floors aligned to match the original facade. Offices, retail, and a museum coexist within the same complex.
■ Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C.
1933 / Teitaro Takahashi
The first department store designated as an Important Cultural Property. Highly regarded for balancing facade conservation with creative interior expansion. The “koshimaki” effect appears in the new building across the street, which harmonizes its design with the historic main building.
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| Kabuki-za |
The Charm of Compromise
A walk around Tokyo Station reveals something subtle: even where buildings aren’t historic, many share a similar “low-rise” height at the street level. Look closely at this layer, and the city’s hidden logic begins to emerge.
“Skirt architecture” captures something essential about Tokyo—
a city shaped by limited land, the quiet gravity of the Imperial Palace, and an urban rhythm that demands constant rebuilding.
The result is a kind of practical creativity:
If we can’t preserve everything, we can at least preserve the memory.
Even a saved facade carries the imprint of its era—and that imprint becomes part of the city’s collective memory.
Walk Tokyo with this idea in mind, and the city will show you a new side of itself.
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