Landmark & Tower · Sendagaya

Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium 東京体育館

Fumihiko Maki's 1990 sports complex, whose giant stainless-steel main arena roof looks like a samurai helmet or a giant beetle, beside the National Stadium and open to the public for swimming and training.

About

Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki designed the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium to replace the 1954 gymnasium on the same site, and it opened in 1990. The main arena's curved stainless-steel roof, often compared to a samurai helmet or a beetle's shell, is complemented by a smaller sub-arena and a pyramidal-roofed indoor pool, arranged around a plaza that steps down to Sendagaya Station. It hosted table tennis at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and stages volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling events, but unlike many arenas it is also a public sports centre: visitors can use the pool, training gym and running track for a modest fee. The building is a classic of late-Showa Japanese modernism, and works well paired with Kengo Kuma's National Stadium right next door.

Highlights

• Stainless-steel main arena roof, like a samurai helmet
• Pyramid-roofed indoor pool open to the public
• Plaza stepping down to Sendagaya Station
• Tokyo 2020 Olympic table tennis venue
• Pair with the National Stadium next door

Tips

• Visitors can use the pool and gym for a small fee; bring a swim cap and your own towel.
• The outdoor plaza is a good place to photograph both the gymnasium and the National Stadium.
• Check the event calendar; on tournament days the public facilities may be limited.

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

Nearby

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• Hope-ken SendagayaRamen & Noodles · 360 m away
• Hatonomori Hachiman ShrineShrine · 360 m away
• National Noh TheatreShows & Entertainment · 400 m away
• Japan Olympic MuseumMuseum · 590 m away
• Shinjuku Gyoen National GardenGarden · 640 m away
• FILMCAMERA TOKYOCamera Store · 720 m away
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