About
Leaving behind the bustle of Ginza and stepping into the green shade of Sukiyabashi Park, one finds a monument that stands out remarkably. This 8-meter-tall clock tower is “The Young Clock Tower” by Taro Okamoto. Created in 1966 at the request of both the Ginza Lions Club and the newly independent Tokyo Sukiyabashi Lions Club, this work was installed as a symbol of the wish for the sound upbringing of young people.
A conical object juts out from a cylindrical pedestal, and from there, horn-like protrusions extend in all directions, giving the impression of overflowing vitality. When Okamoto visited this site, he lamented, “It’s a place where colors and shapes are chaotically confused. Terrible.” Yet he also conceived, “If you just make something simple and neat, it will be buried. I wanted to create a vivid symbol that is intense and at the same time calm, different from its surroundings but living perfectly in that place.”
The clock face is designed to resemble a face, with the hands sometimes appearing as eyebrows or a mustache depending on the time, adding a playful touch. At night, it is illuminated in red, yellow, blue, and green, presenting a fantastical appearance different from the daytime. Regarding this work, Okamoto said, “Human beings originally want to thrust their ambitions in all directions and live with overflowing passion. I intended to represent a time that transcends time, not mechanical but human time.”
About 40 years after its installation, large-scale restorations were carried out in 2001 and 2011, restoring its original brilliance. Even now, it remains a symbol of Ginza, serving as a popular meeting spot and place of relaxation for many people.
This “Young Clock Tower” features a design that is also reminiscent of Taro Okamoto’s representative work, the “Tower of the Sun,” and can be said to be a work that condenses his artistic vision and passion. In the heart of Ginza, this clock tower continues to mark the passage of time, providing energy and inspiration to all who visit.