St. Mary's Cathedral

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

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.

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.

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).