- Toki Messe
nihongo|Toki Messe|朱鷺メッセ|Toki Messe is a multi-purpose international
convention center located in Niigata,Niigata Prefecture ,Japan . The center was opened onMay 1 ,2003 and contains a hotel, restaurants, an art museum, conference rooms, and the offices of several international organizations.Since 2004, Toki Messe has been the site of home games for the Niigata Albirex Basketball Team.
Toki Messe is the tallest building on the
Sea of Japan , and has anobservation deck on the 34th floor where one can view the areas in and around Niigata. Depending on the weather, one can also see Sado and Awashima islands.The complex is named after the toki, the official bird of
Niigata Prefecture .On the opening night of
August 26 ,2003 , an incident occurred where a 40 meter section of raised walkway connecting Toki Messe to the Sado Ferry Terminal collapsed. At the time, many assumed this was due toterrorism from pro-North Korean groups, as theNorth Korea nMangyongbong-92 ferry had just departed from nearby Niigata Port the same dayFact|April, 2007|date=April 2007. However, a later investigation revealed faulty construction. Since then, Toki Messe has not been directly connected to the ferry terminal.External links
* [http://www.tokimesse.com/english/ TOKI MESSE: Niigata Convention Center] , Official website
* [http://www.maki-and-associates.co.jp/e/project/36.html Toki Messe / Niigata Convention Center] , Maki and Associates
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
