KITTE BUILDING

Exit JR Tokyo Station's Marunouchi South Gate and face the clean, straight lines of the KITTE building, a retail and office facility occupying the site of the former Tokyo Central Post Office. Boasting a wide variety of shopping and dining establishments, KITTE is also home to one of the museums with unusual exhibits in Tokyo, a multilingual tourist information center, Tokyo Central Post Office and a rooftop garden perfect for trainspotting.

From the sophisticated stark white exterior to the building's light-filled triangular atrium, by the environmental interiors designed by 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium architect Kengo Kuma, the KITTE complex exudes style. View the atrium as you shop from the five shopping floors that surround the space on three sides. While there, you may catch one of the sponsored or seasonal events often held in the atrium's courtyard space on the 1st floor.

KITTE—its name a play on the Japanese words kitte (postage stamp) and kite (come on over)—each floor is delineated by each special concept. One floor is dedicated to popular local dishes across Japan, another to Japanese aesthetics, and another to the fusion of old and new sensibilities.

Of special note are a couple of venues allowing a respite from eating and shopping. Venture to the second and third floors to enter a free museum, INTERMEDIATHEQUE, operated by Japan Post Co. and the University Museum, the University of Tokyo (UMUT). Item descriptions are written in English as well as Japanese and photography inside the museum is strictly prohibited.

The fourth floor is home to a restoration of the former postmaster's office, allowing you to see what it looked like the time when it founded. The sixth floor rooftop garden overlooks Tokyo Station, providing a one-of-a-kind angle for trainspotting and photography.

Summary Credits: Go Tokyo

Photo Credit: The Gate

Address: 2-chōme-7 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tōkyō-to 100-0005, Japan

Hours: Typically around 11am - 9pm, depending on stores

Website: https://marunouchi.jp-kitte.jp/gb/index.jsp#googtrans(en)

How to get there: A 1 minute walk from Tokyo Station, Marunouchi South Exit