Filed under: Tokyo
Everything about the iconoc shinkansen (bullet train) minus the actual bullet train. After all, half the experience is pegging it to the train so that you do not miss it. We got there with a few moments to spare to make sure we caught the right train.
Nim
There are always so many oppurtunities for photos around Tokyo, especially when night falls and the lights come on… its the classic shot of Tokyo; the vertical advertisements underlined by the streaks of white and red traffic.
Yet we were unable to catch the shot, this photo was taken in the few seconds it takes a security guard to spot you taking a photo, walk over and stop you from taking the photo. It began to get frustrating, we had been here three days and only managed a handful of decent night shots.
We know there are thousands of photos of Tokyo at night, but its nice to have one that you took, so planning a night shoot when we had the time was in order, rather than taking them as we rushed for the last train…
Harry
Odaiba, an artificial island situated in Tokyo Bay is home to a couple of Tokyo’s landmarks. The large red and white ferris wheel and the Fuji TV headquarters.
The building is predominantly office space but contains ten studios, spread over 25 stories and rising 125 meters above our heads.
We had seen the building in the UR Model and in magazines, but the other-worldly quality is made ever more apparent by the shear size of the thing.
The ball that seems to have lodged itself into the otherwise very rational grid like structure weighs 1200 tonnes and is 36 meters in diameter, but it appears so alien that you find yourself thinking it must be hovering, weightless, unsupported by the intersecting beams.
The studio was designed by Kenzo Tange Associates, with construction starting in 1993 and lasting three years, The design is up to scratch in standards for quake tolerance.
Upon entering we are met with yet another Tokyo gift shop, and even though we had taken the rather elaborately loopy train from central Tokyo we didn’t pay the 500 yen for a tour and entrance to the ball. The Odaiba Island is worth the visit though; to see the development that is ongoing, the Rainbow Bridge and a rather odd slightly smaller scale model of the Statue of Liberty.
Harry
We decided to ask these youthful suits what they thought Wabi Sabi meant. They told us that it was too difficult to explain in English what it was (although their English was pretty good)- so naturally we asked them if they could show us a pose that represents Wabi Sabi. Personally, I have refrained from telling you what I believe Wabi Sabi to mean, because it can have so many defintions- for me it resided in an experience (in Japan) which will be shared later on in this blog series. But for all you Marcel Theroux wannabes, for now, this pose will have to do.
…I should mention, the Japanese local in the middle is infact Bandai reject “Job hunter Ken”. These guys were amazingly animated, and incredible fun and I wish them the best of luck with their job hunting, especially Ken.
Nim and Chandni
Although Senso-ji temple is the oldest in Tokyo most of the buildings were built after the second world war, due to the originals having been destroyed by bombing.
The above photo shows the Nakamise-dori, a 250 meter long street; once lined with market stalls that provided locals with necessities in the 18th century, but is now lined with stalls selling artifacts that any good tourist needs; folding chopsticks, green tea ice cream, Geta (wood sandals) and bright kimonos.
The first structure you arrive at down Nakamise-dori is the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, from which a huge lantern hangs. As you draw close up to this structure the age becomes apparent. The huge columns are cool steel, rather than timber and there aren’t the wonderful details in the eaves.
Despite Senso-ji being built in the 1960s and it feeling like a tourist attraction it is still very much a functioning temple. Along Nakamise-dori we ran into a group of third year college students, one of whom was ‘Job Hunter Ken’. They were on the way to pray for good fortune in Job Hunter’s search for employment.
Harry
Local pick number two saw us eat in this cosy little restaurant in the City. Once again the layout was quite tight and compact, and the group were nearly sitting on top of one another. But, once again, the whole experience worked for us. Chalk it down to the mellow lighting or maybe it was some numbing solution mixed within our green tea- the layout never felt uncomfortable. The restaurant was small; similar to the first one it would only sit around 25- 30 people max, infact the kitchen was only a few paces away from where we were sitting. But I guess the place was made bigger by the very nature of the way we sat on the floor close to one another- this enabled the interior aesthetic to take charge of our periphery; rather than it being cluttered by waves of people, more commonly associated with the mass dining experience. The food was good too (try the miso soup).
Nim
Filed under: Tokyo
This crazy facade (above) is part of the National Art Gallery, designed by Kisho Kurukawa in 2005. He founded the avant-garde metabolism movement in the 1960’s, which was all about the pursuit of recyclable architecture- Nakagin Capsule Tower is one of his most famous buildings, which evoked the idea of impermanence (removeable, interchangeable and adaptable buildings). Below is an internal view of the Mori Tower.
Nim
Filed under: Tokyo
The Mori Tower, Roppongi Hills
Beneath the rich decoration of the viewing platform on the fifty-second floor the structure is revealed to us. The huge steel beams rarely cross horizontally or rise vertically, the angled beams are part of the aseismic design that stiffens the building should an earthquake strike, especially toward the upper floors of the building.
Harry
The journey up to the top of the tower took no more than 10 seconds, thanks to the super hi-speed, ear popping elevator. We were expecting impressive views of the city- what we got was an impressive 360 degree city panoramic view with a sexy car exhibition to frame it all. It was an unusual combination, but it gave us a chance to contemplate one of life’s more demading questions: how did they get an entire supercar showroom up 54 stories? Never the less, the alliance of fast lifts and fast cars prompted some dymnamic behaviour on our behalf- from this height there really is a lot to see!
Nim
ontokyo 