Uppity Daikanyama is known more to be the home of the modern rich and famous, but 100 years ago, it was also home to Asakura Torajiro, a politician and businessman of Tokyo. The large two-story house sits in the middle of a beautiful Japanese garden, all of which is hidden behind a very modern shopping…
Tag: building
Nakagin Capsule Tower
The Nakagin Capsule Tower is probably what many people envision when they think of modern Tokyo: a sort of space-age but utilitarian building stacked high into the sky. In truth, this building is the one and only of its kind in Tokyo or anywhere else, and unless you consider 1972 the peak of modern Japan,…
House Vision
Architecture poses a unique puzzle for Japan with the perfect storm of scarcity of natural resources, the premium value of land in urban areas, and a dwindling population. This is why many of Japan’s most prominent architects are on the cutting edge of ideas like using recycled materials for building projects, optimizing space in tiny…
Bamboo
One could say that Asia was built on bamboo (竹）and few would dispute it. Bamboo is a fast growing plant that has provided Asia with food and building materials for thousands of years. But moreover, bamboo forests, though increasingly rare in Japan, are beautiful places to wander and be amazed in. Arashiyama in Kyoto boasts…
Hokan-ji (Yasaka Pagoda)
In the early morning and late evening hours around Hokan-ji in eastern Kyoto, the streets are nearly deserted and you can enjoy a magical moment of alone time with this six centuries-old pagoda. Sitting on a sloped narrow stone path, this historic pagoda is mostly surrounded by traditional wooden shops and residences. At one time the pagoda…
Roppongi Hills
One of the original monuments to the redevelopment of the once seedy Roppongi area of Tokyo, Roppongi Hills opened in 2003 as an “integrated development” of residential, commercial and business space. Though it was designed as a place where residents can live, work and play in the same space, the truth is only the extremely…
Fuji TV Building
Looking across Tokyo Bay at the man-made island of Odaiba, the Fuji Television building stands out even among a crowd of architectural marvels. Designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1997, it is the headquarters of one of Japan’s major networks. The sphere on the upper floors has a viewing deck that is open to…
Shibuya
Shibuya has been the epicenter of youth culture in Tokyo for decades, but in the next few years, expect Shibuya to do a little growing up, literally. Hikarie, from where this photo was taken, was completed in 2012 and is the first of four new skyscrapers to rise above a brand new designed Shibuya station,…
Tokyo International Forum
Part Death Star and part bowels of a ship, the Tokyo International Forum is certainly an architectural masterpiece not to be missed. Built in 1996, this building houses eight exhibition halls, numerous restaurants and an outdoor antique fair on the third Sunday of the month. It is a few minutes walk from the JR Yurakucho…
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