Square & Landmark

Nippon TV Big Clock

📍 1-6-1 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0021, Japan (Nippon TV Tower, Shiodome)

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Quick Facts

Location: Japan, Tokyo
Category: Square & Landmark
Duration: 15-30 minutes including waiting for a show
Opening Hours: Weekdays 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 only. Each show starts about 3 minutes before the hour; displays may be cancelled in severe weather.
Address: 1-6-1 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0021, Japan (Nippon TV Tower, Shiodome)
Coordinates: 35.6641, 139.7320

Introduction

The NTV Big Clock (officially the 'NI-Tele Really BIG Clock', Nittele Dai Tokei) is mounted on the second-floor exterior wall of Nippon Television's headquarters in Shiodome. Designed by Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki and constructed by sculptor Kunio Shachimaru, it took roughly six years and was unveiled in December 2006, and has become one of Tokyo's best-known pieces of mechanical art. The hand-carved copper-and-steel clock stands about 12 m high and 18 m wide, weighs over 20 tonnes, and has a 4 m dial; the minute hand is 2.5 m long and weighs 24 kg, the hour hand 1.75 m and 16 kg. Thirty-two mechanisms are at work. NTV divides them into the Realm of Sound and the Realm of Motion: the Great Time Cannon, three generations of blacksmiths, the Kettle Tank, the conveyor belt and the moving hands, all presided over by a mysterious Clockmaster no visitor has ever seen. Each display begins about three minutes before the hour and runs 2 minutes 50 seconds to 'The Clock That Descended Upon Shiodome'. The official schedule is four shows on weekdays (12:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:00) and a single 10:00 show at the weekend; the clock itself is visible around the clock and looks more atmospheric after dark.

✨ Highlights

Designed by Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki and built by sculptor Kunio Shachimaru over roughly six years; unveiled December 2006.

32 moving mechanisms

About 12 m high, 18 m wide and over 20 tonnes, with a 4 m dial and 32 mechanisms - the Great Time Cannon, three blacksmiths, the Kettle Tank and the moving hands.

The hourly display

Each show starts about three minutes before the hour and runs 2 minutes 50 seconds to the music 'The Clock That Descended Upon Shiodome'.

Four weekday shows

Official schedule: four weekday shows at 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:00; a single 10:00 show at weekends, with holidays following the day of the week they fall on.

The Clockmaster

NTV's story describes a mysterious Clockmaster hidden inside the clock whom no visitor has ever seen - with a silhouette and other details hidden in the mechanism.

Day and night

Visible 24 hours and free to view; mechanical detail is crisp by day, while the lighting after dark gives it a stronger steampunk mood.

🛈 Practical Info

→Exact show times：The official NTV schedule is four shows on weekdays (12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:00) and a single 10:00 show on Saturday and Sunday. Weekends are not an extra matinee on top of a weekday timetable - 10:00 is the only show that day. On national holidays the weekday or weekend schedule applies, whichever day of the week it falls on.

→Timing your visit：Each display starts about three minutes before the hour and runs 2 minutes 50 seconds. To get a good position on the outer walkway or the escalator platform, arrive five to eight minutes early.

→Weather cancellations：NTV advises that the mechanical display may be cancelled in severe weather such as typhoons, strong winds or heavy rain. The clock itself stays visible 24 hours, so you can still study the mechanism up close.

→Viewpoints：The second-floor outer walkway and the escalator platforms linked to Shiodome Station give the closest views; shooting from the west side frames the clock together with Tokyo Tower.

→Combine：Pair it with Caretta Shiodome mall, the Shiodome sky gardens, the Yurikamome viewpoint deck and Hama-rikyu Gardens; the Nittele-Ya shop on B2F sells model clocks and souvenirs.

→Worth it?：Worth it, especially for Ghibli fans and lovers of mechanical contraptions - the synchronised figures on the hour are the most distinctive free sight in Tokyo. It pairs naturally with Tokyo Tower and the Shiodome waterfront at night. Each show is only 2 minutes 50 seconds, so seeing one is worth the wait.

→Watch out：Note there are only four weekday shows (12:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:00) - there is no 13:00 show - and weekends have a single 10:00 show rather than an extra matinee. Arrive five to eight minutes early for a close viewing spot, and note displays may be cancelled in severe weather.

→Opening Hours：Weekdays 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 only. Each show starts about 3 minutes before the hour; displays may be cancelled in severe weather.

→Transportation：Toei Oedo Line Shiodome Station 1-3 min on foot; JR Shimbashi Shiodome Exit 3 min

💡 Tips

• The show is only 2 minutes 50 seconds and starts three minutes before the hour, so be in place five minutes ahead.

• Weekends have only the 10:00 show - do not plan a day around a weekday five-show timetable.

• The official schedule is 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:00 on weekdays; there is no 13:00 show.

• The clock is visible 24 hours and free, so a cancelled display still leaves the mechanism worth a close look.

• The walkway outside the building and the escalator platform are the closest viewing points - do not expect detail from the road.

• Late afternoon shooting from the west side frames the clock with Tokyo Tower.

FAQ

What are the opening hours of Nippon TV Big Clock?

Weekdays 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 only. Each show starts about 3 minutes before the hour; displays may be cancelled in severe weather.

Any practical tips for visiting Nippon TV Big Clock?

The show is only 2 minutes 50 seconds and starts three minutes before the hour, so be in place five minutes ahead. Weekends have only the 10:00 show - do not plan a day around a weekday five-show timetable.