St. Mary's Cathedral

Name: St. Mary's Cathedral
Address: 3-15-16 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Sekiguchi, Kantō region, Japan
Telephone: 03-3945-0126

Written by Greg Lane

Tokyo’s head office for the Catholic Church is a striking modernist building designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and completed in 1965.

St. Mary's Cathedral interior — Photo by Gregory Lane

The cathedral features a steep, angular, steel roof, a towering spire—separated from the main building—and a cavernous stone tiled interior. Even if you aren’t into churches, the building is a great example of the genius of Kenzo Tange.

Lourdes grotto - St. Mary's Tokyo — Photo by Gregory Lane

Besides the building itself, there is an outdoor re-creation of the grotto at Lourdes complete with Virgin Mary statue. There are also some lovely cherry blossoms on the grounds that bloom in March/April.

Find a Creative Job in Japan

Hand-picked creative jobs and jobs at creative companies in Tokyo & Japan. We find employers who have flexible work conditions, don't neccessarily have Japanese language requirements and are open to applications from outside of Japan. Updated every week!

Click here for details

Spire of St. Mary's Cathedral Tokyo — Photo by Gregory Lane

The cathedral is located across the road from Chinzanso Garden. You can get to the cathedral via a 15 minute walk up the hill from Edogawabashi Station on the Yurakucho Line, or a 10 minute walk from Waseda Station on the Tokyo Sakura Tram (also known as the Toden Arakawa Line).

Open with Maps