/tags/building/ Recent content in building on Tokyo, endless city Hugo -- gohugo.io en Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/under_marunouchi/ Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/under_marunouchi/ There is a huge amount of pedestrian space underneath Tokyo, and often it can be pretty sparsely populated. This is from under Marunouchi Plaza near Tokyo Station taken early evening just before Christmas. These places provide access without consideration of traffic, and I think much of their reason for being were the number of pedestrian accidents. They also protect you from the elements whether that is rain, cold or heat, and are always well lit and very, very clean. /posts/postoffice_reflections/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/postoffice_reflections/ Some may think concrete, steel and glass buildings a bit soulless. But they have different and often appealing moods depending on the season and time of day. Here, the Marunouchi Post Office building shows interesting reflections of the nearby buildings and lovely clear blue December afternoon sky. /posts/dondonudon/ Sat, 28 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/dondonudon/ A wonderful little udon restaurant hidden away under the Hakozaki junction in Chuo City. There are so many of these small establishments and each has its own atmosphere. /posts/kebab-shop/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/kebab-shop/ There is so much of Tokyo in this tiny scene. The utility poles, the narrow roads, the even narrower buildings, a temple, vending machines, a combini, bicycles and a bright, but this time sadly closed, a bright shop selling hot food to take away. Perfection. /posts/takeaway-yakitori/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/takeaway-yakitori/ I am always awed and pleased to see such establishments as this happily opening up and selling their wares each day. This place must take some setting up and taking down each day. I love the colourful flowers and New Year ornaments put out. /posts/hinamatsuri-dolls/ Sun, 23 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/hinamatsuri-dolls/ I’m afraid I have forgotton exactly where I came across this display of Hina Matsuri dolls, other than that it was in a small temple somewhere in the North East of Tokyo. I have since read that these are displayed by families on Girls Day on the 3rd March each year to pray for the healthy growth of young girls. I believe that sometimes Temples take old, discarded dolls and display them for a while as a kind of memorial service for them before storing them away, or, in some cases burning them to release their spirits. /posts/towers-of-glass/ Sat, 23 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/towers-of-glass/ Tokyo has many stunning towers of glass, and this one, the newish Kitte building on the south side of Marunouchi Plaza, is one of my favourites. Here looking especially beautiful against a clear blue winter sky. The viewing platform from where this photograph was taken is the perfect location for looking out over the plaza and Tokyo Station too. /posts/marunouchi-plaza/ Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/marunouchi-plaza/ Marunouchi Plaza is one of my favourite public spaces in Tokyo. There is an endless variety of contrasting architectures to look at and explore, not to mention some very fine vantage points for viewing the surrounding area. From the new post office building (where this photograph was taken from) to the wonderful Tokyo Station and even looking down Gyoko-dori towards the Imperial Palace there is so much to see and explore from this space. /posts/roof-tiles-and-rain-chains/ Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/roof-tiles-and-rain-chains/ I love Japanese roof tiles. Their texture, shape, glaze and colours are a major contributor to the appeal of temples and other traditional Japanese buildings. Another fascinating element of such buildings are the rain chains, or kusari-doi, that so much more elegantly deal with off-roof water flow than the usual drainpipe. This photograph is of part of the Jyokan-ji temple near Minowa Station. It lies right on the boundary of the Arakawa and Tatio wards which is a fascinating area to explore /posts/abandoned-bookshop/ Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/abandoned-bookshop/ You do not have to travel far from the polished city centre before you start to see shops and stores that have been shuttered for the last time. Whilst it can be sad to see, and often fills my mind with the ghosts of happier days, the slow ageing of the materials is beautiful in its own right. /posts/pink-white-and-blue/ Mon, 30 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/pink-white-and-blue/ This office block in Sumida City caught my eye, the very man made colour framed by the pink, white and blue of nature. It overlooks the Sumida River Park, a very pleasant long thin park whose pathways mark the boundary between many of the eastern and western districts of Sumida ward. /posts/cans/ Fri, 06 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/cans/ There is something tidy and considerate about the Japanese people. It is something I became aware of on my first visit and something that I feel has improved the way I behave. In this scene you can see that even on the edges of the big city the ubiquitous vending machines are used to a much greater extent than the provided bins can cope with. And yet the discarded tins are arranged as neatly as can be managed, awaiting collection and recycling. /posts/rust/ Sat, 22 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/rust/ Rust is a universal sign of decay, and it may suprise some that you do not have to travel far in Tokyo to see it. Here, in northern Tokyo, two well rusted bicycles stand guard outside an apparantly abandoned store like the guardian sentinals outside a shrine. You can see rust stains on the road suggesting the bikes have been in situ for quite some time, giving the impression the road is rarely travelled. /posts/tokyo-station/ Sat, 25 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/tokyo-station/ Tokyo Station is an immense building with an amazing history. Here is the south side of the station, and the central dome. It sits astride a massively complex transit system nexus and a vast underground shopping mall. With trains and metros, taxis, busses and coaches it truely is a location where journeys begin, end and transition. /posts/count-the-buildings/ Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/count-the-buildings/ The variety in size, design, colour, texture and function of buildings in Tokyo never ceases to amaze and fascinate me. Looking east from the superb vantage point of the Skytree out over Kyojima and Yahiro, I wonder how many buildings there are in this one small area of the city. I wonder if any two are the same. The windows are like stars in the sky or grains of sand on a beach - uncountable. /posts/towards-marunouchi/ Mon, 25 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/towards-marunouchi/ Around the Imperial Palace there is open space that allows you to step back a little from the tall, close set forest of concrete, metal and glass. This is a view up Gyoko Dori towards Tokyo Station and Marunouchi. The people lucky enough to work at or near one of those myriad windows must surely have a splendid view of the Palace grounds behind me. /posts/mukojima-district/ Mon, 14 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/mukojima-district/ Mukojima is a shitamachi district, meaning that it is comprised lowrise buildings in a somewhat less affluent area. The nearby Skytree looks over it now, and is a great place to view the district from, especially on a brilliant sunny day like this was. Remember you can right click on the image to access it full size - something I especially recommend for photographs like this one. /posts/tracks-and-skytree/ Tue, 27 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/tracks-and-skytree/ The Skytree watches over vast tracts of Tokyo, much of which still has an older, smaller, more patinated atmosphere. Areas around train tracks especially have that feel. Looking across the Tobu-Kameido Line here in Oshiage is one such place. Though only taken a year or so back the red building opposite is now gone, soon to replaced with who knows what. That is another constant in Tokyo: Change. /posts/government/ Tue, 16 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/government/ There are few words less interesting to me than the title of this post. However, having been based in West Shinjuku on my first stay in Tokyo I soon warmed to the magnificent Metropolitan Government Building there. It looks majestic during the day and stunning at night. Combined with the twin viewing platforms at the top of each tower, a very nice cafe, excellent restaurant and a useful tourist information centre, it is one place I enjoy returning to. /posts/jokan-ji-door/ Thu, 25 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/jokan-ji-door/ Around the back of the Jōkan-ji temple is a door behind which are stored the remains of a great many women whose sad story is well worth looking into. /posts/moss-and-octopus/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/moss-and-octopus/ I was sad to pass this small bar in Minamisenju when it was closed, and have made a note to return during its opening hours. I cannot read the real name but have labelled it for myself as the Moss and Octopus. /posts/tree-and-skytree/ Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/tree-and-skytree/ The Tokyo Skytree is visible for much of the length of the long and thin Sumida River Park. A very pleasant park on a cool spring morning. At this point the east (right hand) half of the park is in Kotobashi and the west side is in Midori. You can weave in and out of a dozen different districts as you walk along its winding paths.