Housed in a delicate-looking glass and steel building that is an experiment in weightlessness and transparency, the Tokyo International Forum has stood in the heart of the business district since 1997. The huge sums of money and technological prowess involved in its creation make it symbolic of a euphoric era. It serves mainly as a congress centre. Wreathed in light from above, the 21 000m2 of the atrium is divided into seven auditoria, 34 conference rooms and an art museum devoted to Aida Mitsuo (1924-1991), a Zen poet and calligrapher of great repute.