Both are typical of Kabukicho. Focused around a sculptural pair of vehicle ramps, the project separates bus terminals, pedestrian concourses, and parking lots into different levels, this being the first attempt in Japan to organize large-scale pedestrian and vehicular traffic according to level. The area west of Shinjuku station was home to a water purification plant that supplied the whole of Tokyo. Its removal in 1965 left open a large tract of land which was set aside as a high-rise district resembling downtown Dallas or Los Angeles more than it does any other part of Tokyo. Intended as a landmark to represent the authority of the City government, the symbolism of the building has been controversial.
Many people dislike the vastness and totalitarian feel of the building.
Whether or not the complex crosses the line from civic grandeur to oppressive grandiosity, you can decide for yourself. A bridge passes over the atrium space at the 29th floor, from which you can look down onto the glass-covered lounges which sit on top of elevator shafts that rise part way up the atrium. Map available .