For over a decade Tokyo Fox has focused on the modern architecture of Tokyo with a long-running ten part series featuring over 100 interesting-looking buildings. During that time I have also taken photos of some unique structures outside of the capital city but had no place to showcase them until now. This is Volume 1 which includes some weird and wonderful buildings in Hokkaido and the northern Tōhoku region.

1. King XMHU Night Club, 4-424-10 Minami 7 Jonishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido – This 22 metre face building, with its cracked skin and glaring gaze, is located in the Susukino entertainment and hotel district of Sapporo. It was supposedly designed by an artist who also worked for Disneyland in the USA. More details here

2. Sapporo Dome, 1 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido – This spaceship-like domed arena was designed by Hiroshi Hara at a cost of $350 million, and is the home of Japanese football team Consadole Sapporo. It opened in 2001 and hosted three games during the 2002 FIFA World Cup (including England Vs. Argentina) and two matches in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. More details here

3. Kizukuri Station, Tsugaru, Aomori – One of the most unique station facades you’ll ever see! Kizukuri is on the Gonō Line, and has been decorated with a giant 17.3 metre clay figure nicknamed Shako-chan on the exterior since 1992. Shako-chan is what is known as a Shakōki-dogū (or goggle-eyed dogū); small humanoid and animal creations of the Jōmon period (14,000–400 BC) of prehistoric Japan. More details here

4. ASPAM building @ 1-1-40 Yasukata, Aomori – It was built in 1986 and is actually supposed to look more like an “A” to represent the A in Aomori Prefecture rather than being anything to do with Egypt! It is 76 metres tall and was completed in 1985 at a cost of about $38 million. More details here

5. Akita Prefectural Gymnasium @ 1-12 Yabaseundokoen, Akita – Completed in 1994 at a cost of $24 million, this modern-looking and unconventional silver-domed building was designed by Toyokazu Watanabe to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Akita city. More details here

Click on the following links to see previous Tokyo Modern Architecture posts…

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