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All Japan Tokyo Yukku-Rhythm Pendulum Clock

Yukku-Rhythm Pendulum Clock

This unassuming office building is home to what was once the world's largest pendulum clock.

Tokyo, Japan

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Tim Millar
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The Shinjuku NS Building Pendulum Clock  
The face of the Yukku-Rhythm Pendulum Clock.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Creatures of the Chinese zodiac.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The Yukku-Rhythm Pendulum Clock.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The clock seen from below.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The Shinjuku NS Building Pendulum Clock   phosphor, CC BY-SA 3.0
Detail.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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West of Shinjuku Station and close to Shinjuku Chuo Park, inside the unassuming Shinjuku NS Building, resides a 95-foot (29.1 meters) pendulum clock made by Seiko that was once listed as the world's largest.

The Yukku-Rhythm Grand Pendulum Clock is gigantic with a pendulum that is around 72 feet (22 meters) in diameter with a pendulum that takes 30 seconds to swing. Yukku-Rhythm is a fanciful portmanteau that derives from yukkuri "slow" and rizumu "rhythm," referring to the way its hand completes its full circle taking 24 hours.

Each of the hours on the clock face is represented by the Chinese zodiac, in keeping with the Asian tradition. Though obsolete, some of this tradition persist to this day, such as the phrase ushi-mitsu-doki "third hour of the ox" being the Japanese equivalent of the witching hour.

Outside of the atrium clock, the building has several restaurants and a viewing gallery that provides vistas of neighboring buildings. The building's name came from its co-developers, Nihon Seimei and Sumitomo, who are the building's primary occupants.

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Design History & Culture Clocks

Know Before You Go

The building is a 10-minute walk from the South or West exits of JR Shinjuku Station. Access is free and unrestricted; please be mindful, however, that the building is primarily a place of work and may be busy during peak hours. 

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Added By

Frozentsbgg

Edited By

Fred Cherrygarden, jonathancarey

  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • jonathancarey

Published

August 2, 2023

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  • http://www.shinjuku-ns.co.jp/
Yukku-Rhythm Pendulum Clock
Shinjuku City
Tokyo, 160-0023
Japan
35.688037, 139.693513
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