B&W photographs and thoughts of Tokyo Big Sight

Tokyo Big Sight is one of my favorite buildings. I’ve been to it for many events over the years. But this was my first time photographing the building. This photoshoot was long overdue.

Inside are the East, West, and South Exhibition Halls. They contain restaurants and business facilities. With its 230,873 m² floor area, it is the largest convention and exhibition center in Japan. Only Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture is close.

Tokyo Big Sight is mostly low set, as some of its exhibit halls are only three floors high. But, it has one standout feature. The glass and titanium-paneled conference tower! It has four inverted pyramids upon massive supports. The whole thing looks futuristic. It is an iconic piece of architecture.

A total of eight contracting companies worked on the site. Construction began in October 1992 and finished in October 1995. The total contract was worth 40,392 million yen.

Tokyo Big Sight is a great place, but casual visitors are restricted to the entrance and outside. The exhibit halls are typically closed when there are no events. That is okay, as there is still a lot to photograph if you like buildings and architecture.

It is a great place to walk around. The conference tower is incredible. That part of the complex is unique in Tokyo. It looks like something out of an Atlantis movie. For this visit, though, I was a little disappointed as it was a very cloudy day. That is why these pictures are black and white.

Tokyo Big Sight is a great place to go, even though it is quite a long trip from my house. Walking around the halls during events is always an experience. It is so big. I’d love to see what goes on behind the scenes. How much is there that visitors can’t see? Sorry, but I can’t answer that question yet.

I hope Tokyo will get more similar structures. We are behind the times with our numerous standard glass and steel boxes. Our city needs to catch up. Many world-class cities overseas lead us in architecture.

And more convention centers are going to be needed in the years to come. At this point, nothing here ranks in the world’s top 10. I would be surprised if many people overseas know of Tokyo Big Sight. It is something I very rarely hear discussed. If the government wants Tokyo to be a real-world player, it will need another center even bigger in years to come. They can be excellent sources of income.

Tokyo Big Sight sees a wide range of events. They include bridal expos, IT events, jewelry, and food fairs. Some of the biggest are Comiket, Japan Home and Building Show, and Caferes Japan. The complete list is extensive. Some I’ve been to are:

• AnimeJapan 2018
• Design Festa 2016
• Tokyo Motor Show (2017 pics here)

Where is Tokyo Big Sight?

Tokyo Big Sight is near Odaiba. It has two stations nearby:

1. Tokyo Big Sight – served by the Yurikamome line.
2. Kokusai-Tenjijo – served by the Rinkai line.

Here is a Google map:

When is Tokyo Big Sight open?

8 am to 8 pm.

Wrapping up

Tokyo Big Sight is a great place for architectural photography. I’d also like to shoot it on a sunny day in the future. When it lights up at night, that might be very interesting too. Anyway, more projects to add to my bucket list!

External articles about world convention centers

• Top 20 Largest and Greatest Convention Centers in the World in 2021

If you have any questions or comments about this article, please leave them below. And I’d like to hear from people with experience in the convention/conference industry. That would be very interesting.