21_21 DESIGN SIGHT

In short

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT is a design facility located within Midtown Garden, a green space in Tokyo Midtown. Initiated partly through an article contributed by its founder, Miyake Issey, it launched in March 2007. Visitors can experience the joy of design, centered around exhibitions themed on everyday life.

• ​A single sheet of steel roof​​: Designed by Ando Tadao, who drew inspiration from Miyake Issey's clothing design concept of "A Piece of Cloth."
• ​A space expanding underground​​: Eighty percent of the floor area is located underground, featuring a sunken court where natural light pours in.
• ​The thought behind the name​​: Named with the wish to be a place that looks even further ahead than "20/20," which represents excellent eyesight.

History and Highlights

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT is a venue for reflecting on various events and things through design, sharing ideas with the world, and making proposals. Exhibitions with the theme of everyday life are its main focus, and talks and workshops are also held. Another characteristic is that many of the exhibition directors are designers.

From the 1980s, founder Miyake Issey felt a strong need to create a design museum in Japan. After discussions with figures such as Isamu Noguchi and Ando Tadao, he contributed an article titled "Let's Build a Design Museum" to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in January 2003. This became one of the catalysts leading to the launch of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Tokyo Midtown in March 2007. In March 2017, marking its 10th anniversary, Gallery 3 was added.

The name was chosen out of a desire to be a place that sees even beyond "20/20 Vision," the English term for perfect eyesight. It is pronounced "Two-One Two-One Design Sight." The space between the two "21"s corresponds to the distance between human eyes.

Viewing and Experience Points

• ​A single sheet of steel roof​​: Designed by architect Ando Tadao. Focusing on Miyake Issey's clothing concept of "A Piece of Cloth," he conceived a roof that appears as if a single steel sheet were folded. The 54-meter-long steel roof slopes down toward the ground.
• ​Galleries expanding underground​​: A low-profile structure with one above-ground floor and one basement floor, with 80% of its floor space placed underground. The ground floor houses Gallery 3 and a shop, while the basement level has two galleries and a sunken court filled with natural light. Japan's longest double-glazed glass panels are also used here.
• ​Product logo​​: The symbol mark is a plate made from a single sheet of steel. Resembling an address plaque, it indicates that this location is a "place" of design.

Tips for Exploring

The building stands inside Tokyo Midtown, within Midtown Garden, a green area connecting to Minato City Hinokicho Park. This location was chosen so that people gathering in the plaza could naturally wander inside. It is a 5-minute walk from Roppongi Station on the Toei Oedo Line and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, or from Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda Line. First, take a look from the outside at the Himalayan cedars standing behind the building and the shape of the roof sloping toward the ground. Nogi-jinja Shrine is approximately 230 meters to the northwest, and The National Art Center, Tokyo is about 410 meters to the southwest.