Photo Spot · Nishi-Shinjuku

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower モード学園コクーンタワー

A 204 m skyscraper wrapped in a white lattice 'cocoon' beside Shinjuku's West Exit, one of Tokyo's most photographed modern towers and a perfect subject for upward-looking wide-angle shots.

About

Completed in 2008 by Tange Associates, the Cocoon Tower houses three vocational schools (fashion, IT and medical) in a single elliptical shaft, wrapped in crisscrossing white diagonal bands that taper toward the top. The building is not open to visitors, but you do not need to go in: the best shots are from the street. Stand close to the base on the West Exit side and shoot straight up with an ultra-wide lens for converging curves, or step back toward the Shinjuku West Exit bus terminal and the plaza of neighbouring towers to show the cocoon against the glass skyscrapers of Nishi-Shinjuku. At night the lattice glows against the dark glass, and on rainy days the reflections in the plaza are worth the wet shoes.

Highlights

• White elliptical lattice skin that changes with every angle
• Dramatic converging lines from the base with a 14-20 mm lens
• Contrast with the black glass towers of Nishi-Shinjuku
• Lit lattice against the blue-hour sky
• Two minutes from Shinjuku Station's West Exit

Tips

• Shoot from the base on a slightly overcast day to avoid harsh glare on the white bands.
• Blue hour from the West Exit side shows the lit floors inside the lattice.
• It is a school: do not try to enter or shoot through the doors.
• Combine with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government observatory and its projection mapping 10 minutes west.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• SOMPO Museum of ArtMuseum · 120 m away
• Shinjuku Nomura Building Observation LobbyVista & View · 130 m away
• Bic Camera Shinjuku West ExitCamera Store · 170 m away
• Ramen Manrai (Shinjuku)Ramen & Noodles · 180 m away
• Shinjuku Used Camera MarketCamera Store · 200 m away
• Yodobashi Camera Shinjuku West Exit Main StoreCamera Store · 210 m away
• Bar BenfiddichBars & Nightlife · 230 m away
• Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center · Shinjuku West (baggage storage)Luggage Storage · 240 m away