LEGO Architecture Tokyo — The View, on Your Desk

Looking west from the 32nd-floor canteen of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, one tower stands out: a glass cocoon wrapped around a slender core. That is the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, a short walk from where you are standing.

That tower is in the LEGO Architecture Tokyo set (21051).

What Is in the Box

According to LEGO’s official product information, the set contains:

• Tokyo Skytree
• Tokyo Tower
• Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
• Tokyo Big Sight
• The cherry trees of Chidorigafuchi
• A five-storey pagoda
• The Shibuya crossing

547 pieces, for ages 16 and up. The finished model is about 28 cm high, 27 cm wide and 10 cm deep, and comes with a “Tokyo” nameplate and a base — it is designed to be displayed.

It is not a map. The buildings are not in their real positions relative to one another. Think of it as a picture of Tokyo gathered onto a single base.

Please Know This Before Buying

LEGO lists this set as retired on its official site. What is on sale now is remaining stock.

• Prices vary widely between sellers, and can sit above the original retail price
• Stock only goes down, so if you find one at a fair price, that is the moment
• It is rated 16+. It is not a gift for a small child
• The instructions are diagrams only, so language is not a barrier

How to Have It Delivered to Your Tokyo Hotel

Amazon Japan and Rakuten can both deliver your order directly to the hotel where you are staying. Ordering a few days before your flight home works well — you simply collect the package at the front desk. Set the shipping address to your hotel, and add the hotel name and your guest name as it appears on the reservation.

• Please check with your hotel in advance that they accept packages for guests
• On Amazon.co.jp, the English display toggle is at the top right of the screen. Rakuten is a Japanese-language site, so your browser’s translation feature is the easy way through

Where You Saw It

Two of the buildings in the box — the Cocoon Tower and Tokyo Skytree — are visible from the observatories and the 32nd-floor canteen of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Seeing the originals first changes what the pieces mean when you build them.

• Lunch in the Tokyo Government Staff Canteen
• The Free Observatories of the Tokyo Government Building

Note: Price, availability and specifications may change. Please check the product page before buying.

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