Thinking about Cities, from Vancouver.

Old Men Pondering in the Park.

Peering through the window of a Boeing 777, I notice a heavy cloud bank lodged into an endless panorama of snowy mountains grasping for the sky. It is December, and by now, all residents of the lower mainland of British Columbia can expect to be blanketed by the mist and rain produced from this perpetual bank of clouds for months to come. Somewhere down there is Vancouver squeezed between the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains. This city of roughly 2 million has some of the most dense living conditions in North America, and yet, upon arrival the city seems relatively quaint and absurdly unoccupied compared to Tokyo. As I board a Vancouver city bus - a common mode of transportation for all ages and classes - I hear Chinese, Spanish, and a language from the Indian subcontinent - I think. Away from the steadfast homogeneity of Tokyo, the level of diversity of this ambitious Canadian city seems more striking than ever.

Vancouver, Somewhere Down There.

Now that I have arrived in Vancouver, I am posting my final journal entry regarding Tokyo. Though this site is hardly exhaustive, my goal was to provide some images and commentary of my three months in Tokyo [and beyond], and this all comes from an American urbanist/aspiring architect based in Canada. As people across the globe leave rural areas for the city, we all have a vested interest in making our cities better. While Tokyo is hardly a utopia, I hope that some of these images begin to suggest alternate ways of thinking about our cities.

Autumn Rides Away.

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Dining Solitude in the City.

Finding solitude in Tokyo is no easy task, but there is no shortage of ways to cope. At this Chinese-style ramen restaurant, you first select your order and pay at a vending machine. After being seated at a booth for one at the bar, you mark your meal preferences on a paper menu (i.e., spicy or mild, light or fatty broth) and pass that to an attendant behind the bar. No eye contact is made, since the interface between customer and attendant is only a gap large enough to pass food through. Once your food is delivered, the bamboo curtain is drawn, and you are allowed to enjoy your food in a silent and distraction-free space.

In what was likely a social faux pas, I was able to make eye contact with David, a fellow gaijin, across the bar.

Chinese-style Ramen.
This is nothing like the meager packaged ramen that penny-pinching North American college students know so well. Here, the pork broth is homemade and served with a few hearty pieces of ham. Though enjoyable, I still find Japanese ramen to be much more delicious and healthy.

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Shibuya Crosswalks.

The world's busiest crosswalk pulsates through the heart of Shibuya, but I wanted to look at other crosswalks in the area. At some level, each of these crossings holds some amount of promise, uncertainty, and an undeniable element of exhilaration.

Through the Clearing.
A thin curtain of vegetation reveals bright lights in the distance where more shopping opportunities abound.

Super X-Point.
The Shuto Expressway Loop soars overhead, while several pedestrian crosswalks and train lines pass mid-level. Below street level is a major subway station.

Gaze to the Skies.
The onslaught of people, traffic, and billboards compete for your attention, and yet sometimes, an open patch of blue sky can emerge through the clutter to arrest your gaze.

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Peaceful Discontinuities in the City.

Rows of buildings, brilliant lights, and hordes of people seem to extend endlessly across the Kanto Plain that surrounds Tokyo. Even though Tokyo lags behind other major world cities in terms of green space, one never knows what to expect around the next corner. When walking between Shinjuku and Harajuku, I discovered this small, quiet, and mostly empty shrine. It takes up a small part of a city block, but it feels a world away from Tokyo.

Cleanse Here.
One should cleanse their hands and mouth with water from the trough before visiting a shrine.

Shrines are associated with the Shinto faith, a primitive and ancient system of faith passed down from a nation of rice farmers to a modern age. Buddhism, Japan's other major religion, spread from India. Many Japanese take part in both Shintoism and Buddhism, and sometimes, a little Christianity for good measure.

Surrounded.

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Great Golden Ginkgos.

This year's autumn foliage was not as great as other years, but the Golden Ginkgos were as gorgeous as one could imagine. Other than the fact that the trees give off a slightly unpleasant odor, they're really quite nice, especially from a distance.

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Beyond Mori Tower.

These views are from Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills, an ambitious city-within-a-city project that has an abundance of shops, cafes, apartments, a hotel, Virgin Cinemas, office space, and a large art exhibition center / viewing deck on the 52nd floor. This evening was hazy, so the tall tower district of Shinjuku is not visible.

Tokyo Tower and the Shuto Expressway Loop.

Mori Tower at right.

Digital Signage.
Roppongi Hills was designed by the people that brought you the Bellagio Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas. Circulation through the complex is maddening - it's difficult to orient yourself or find your way out, but don't worry. It was intended to be like that. Best solution? Don't visit... well, for too long.

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Evening at the New York Bar.

Many of the city's high rises have exquisite restaurants and bars on the upper levels - most of which I will never get to visit. One of Tokyo's most famous high rise bars is Park Hyatt's New York Bar on the 52nd level, which provided much of the backdrop for the movie Lost in Translation.


In the foreground is the lesser tower of the Park Hyatt, which houses the rooftop pool.

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Tsukiji Fish Market II.

Frozen Tuna Auction.
The tuna auctions start around the wee hours of 5am and end by 7am. Despite the early hours, the action is fast and tense.

Tuna Inspection.
Auction participants represent wholesalers, large retailers, restaurants, and food processing companies. The tails of the fish are cut off in advance so buyers can expect the color, fattiness, and overall quality of the meat.

Taking Notes.
I arrived near the end of the fresh tuna auction, so these fish were waiting to be transported to their new owners.

Numbers.
Japan consumes one-third of the world's tuna production, amounting to 630,000 tons, or 11 pounds of tuna per person per year. Some of the tuna weigh as much as 880 pounds (or 400 kilograms), and much of the fish is being farmed, especially in the Mediterranean.

Numbered Days.
As globalism continues to diminish the importance of these wholesale markets, the Japanese government has decided to relocate Tsukiji from its prime waterfront property to a less valuable property across the river by 2012. In the future, agents may prefer to purchase fish over the internet instead of going to the market.

Fast and Furious.
Magnified by the delirium of the early morning hours, it's easy to feel like a moving target as workers and motorized carts move briskly through crowds of people. Fish is brought to the market from all over the world by boat, truck, and plane, and these people are responsible for moving 2,000 metric tons of seafood per day.

Tuna Cart.

Massive Tsukiji Market from Above, photo courtesy of wikipedia.
This land will soon be reaping the benefits of high-end development. Perhaps the ghosts of tuna past will be lurking through the site's future boardrooms and hotel rooms?

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Breakfast at Tsukiji.

Made with Loving Care.
I love sushi, but at 7:30am? After leaving the fish market, I opted for Soba noodles and tempura instead, and it was delicious!


More to come...

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Styrofoam Hills of Tsukiji Fish Market.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, otherwise known as Tsukiji Fish Market, is the world's largest fish market, moving 2000 tons of seafood per day. That comes to 700,000 metric tons per year, which has a value of 600 billion yen, or roughly $6 billion U.S. The empty styrofoam packaging seen here is a testament to the amount of seafood moved here per day.

Waste-deep in styrofoam.

More to come....

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Under the Bridge II.

One of my favorite things about Tokyo is the way in which spaces are used: under bridges, highways, expressways - any place an opportunity exists. In most cities, major transit routes effectively create walls or dead zones in the urban fabric. Here, the richness and vitality of Tokyo's urban character is allowed to extend in a relatively continuous fashion as automobiles and trains pass overhead.

Eatery Clinging to Overpass.
Small-scale spaces bring a strong sense of intimacy and humanity to a metropolitan area of nearly 35 million people. Economically, these spaces are more egalitarian. They have relatively lower rents which allow more people to own and run businesses, often in high-profile places.

Ginza 9.
Conversely, even upscale boutiques and restaurants occupy the spaces below expressways and railways - especially in Ginza.

Yamanote Train Line Above, Ameyoko Market Below.
Below these tracks lie some of my favorite haunts, from inexpensive and delicious kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt sushi restaurants, to yakitoris that serve scrumptious BBQ on skewers, edamame, and tasty cold Sapporo or sake. And let's not forget my favorite noodle place, which serves up piping hot soba, or buckwheat noodles with crispy tempura on top.

Before I get carried away on a culinary track - the importance here is that in Tokyo, highly memorable spaces are created in spaces that are ordinarily ignored by many other cities in the world.

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Ginza Nights.

Sidewalk by Day, Runway by Night.
Tokyo is not among the world's most beautiful cities - that is, during the day. At night, it shines.

Louis Vuitton, Exterior by Jun Aoki.

Revisited: Evening at the International Forum, Designed by Rafael Vinoly.

Mikimoto Store, Toyo Ito

Sony Building, Yoshinobu Ashihara.

Lanvin Boutique, Hiroshi Nakamura.

Glass Brick Facade of Maison Hermes Building, by Renzo Piano.

Advertisment for the Highway Department?
I don't know what this sign is advertising, but I like it.

Revisited: Nakagin Capsule Tower Building, Kisho Kurokawa.

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Sounds in the Park

Beneath the Maple Tree, Sounds of the DJ.
It's always nice to stumble upon a free Sunday afternoon dance party in the park.

15 Minutes of...
For several hundred meters along the edge of Yoyogi Park, bands perform side by side for residents and tourists alike. Some bands attract small gatherings of people, while others might as well be practicing in their garage since no one is really listening. Either way, it's one of the most egalitarian performances spaces I've ever seen. As cities increasingly regulate space, it's surprising to encounter places like this.

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Anomalies in Space.

So you think this scene is from L.A. or Houston? Try the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. This is the same city where a sacred temple can be built above a flea market, or where a department store/pachinko parlour/food court is sandwiched between a metro station below and an expressway above. Instead, this quiet bus yard has a rather conventional relationship with the ground - it merely rests on it.

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Stand Still, Move Forward.

Businessmen pass behind a statue at Tokyo Opera City.
Toyo Ito currently has an exceptional exhibition at Tokyo Opera City Gallery replete with large-scale models - some at full size. Perhaps his most important work to date is the Sendai Mediatheque, but the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in China will likely surpass that achievement.

Photography was not allowed in the gallery, so the following images are courtesy of the Hipercroquis website.

Though initially skeptical, I am impressed with Toyo Ito's integrated design strategy that makes concept, structure, systems, and function inseparable. In addition, his competition drawings (which are not available online) reveal the incredible amount of detail put into considering natural air flow and light, energy consumption, and the use of sustainable materials. Furthermore, with the integration of adjacent parks into the building, it seems that the Opera House will contribute to the vitality of the city.
Full-scale Formwork for Tod's on Omotesando. Amazing.

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Friday Night Lights.

Baseball seems to be a much bigger sport in Japan than in the U.S., the sport's birthplace. These school children practice pitching on a Friday evening near Roppongi.

Most sports surfaces in Tokyo are artificial. This artificial practice field lies in the shadow of Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Tower itself is essentially anticlimatic; it is more of a shadow icon that appears in the background of our daily lives.

Glow Blocks.
Akabanebashi Metro Station is a beacon to those seeking to enter the mass underground people mover.

This Way And That Way.
An electronic billboard on the Shuto Expressway Loop directs drivers towards their destination.

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Sing your Heart Out, Dave!

David shows the room how to sing karaoke... Rebecca does a killer job on backup vocals, and the north-bound Yamanote train passes in the background.

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Utopia, This Exit.

Footbridge from the Yurakucho Metro Stop to Shinonome Canal Court.
Housing for the masses took on great importance during the twentieth century and was heightened by the post-World War II building frenzy in Europe. They began as Utopian government projects, but there has been a major shift over the past several decades towards development by private entities, with an emphasis on housing for the upper to upper-middle classes. Still, governments across the world provide tax breaks and financial incentives to private developers, especially when it comes to converting former industrial lands to new uses. The Docklands in London, which began in the 1980s, exemplify this type of development. With escalating gentrification and the demolition of historical properties, a new set of socio-economic and ideological issues have emerged from this type of development.

Tokyo's Shinonome Canal Project began in the 1990s as architects, planners, and government officials sought ways to transform an industrial waterfront property that operated until the early 1970s. Kengo Kuma and Toyo Ito were among the most prominent architects to contribute to this large scale development which sits just 5 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. Unlike the Docklands which boast the highrise commercial Canary Wharf tower, Shinonome Canal Project was geared towards developing housing, limited commercial development, parks, and infrastructure. And unlike other current Utopian projects, such as Vancouver's point tower model, this housing is mostly mid-rise. If Vancouver's model embraces slender "towers on a podium," Shinonome's model might be considered "block on a podium." As a result, there is less open space on the ground plane (i.e., less green space), but the housing is much less hierarchical and a bit more human-scale.


Screens.
Through the use of various modern materials, some amount of privacy is achieved between living spaces and commercial spaces at the ground level.

Common Voids.
The large voids in Toyo Ito's project provide common amenity spaces.

Commercial Cut.
The ground plane offers retail, preschools, gallery spaces, and more. The next level provides common space for residents; its separation from commercial activity lends it a more residential feel.

Public / Private.
Large master planned spaces tend to feel over-regulated and too well defined - just ask any Vancouverite living in Coal Harbour. Thus, it's encouraging to see that some residents here take the liberty to hang clothes under a public stair.

Gallery Space.


Extrusions.
These extruded spaces may provide a buffer of privacy between the interior and exterior spaces.

Bicycle Parking Garage.

The Local Grocery Store.

If you lived here, you would be home by now.


Semi-private spaces.
These areas are located a level above the commercial zone and provide the opportunity for mingling with neighbors... Though at this moment, there was no one to mingle with.

Room for Growth.

Screened Passages on Kengo Kuma's project.

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Drawn to the Light[ness] II.

...More shots from Tokyo's Aoyama/Harajuku area. It's as if the building above was dropped by a twister from Europe; I have seen nothing else like it in Tokyo.

Lost Girl /Future Prada Customer?
The Prada flagship building by Pritzker Prize winning firm Herzog & de Meuron possibly attracts as many architects as customers.

Solitary Customer Climbs Stair.
Mannequins in the Window.

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Just Say No.

Just say no... to everything.
This sign was seen near a busy public space in Ebisu and was clearly erected by fear from... hmmm, from bourgeois tourists? Who knows.

[note: I clearly risked extradition by photographing the sign that prohibits photography.]

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Drawn to the Light[ness].

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA designed the flagship Dior and HHstyle buildings in Aoyama. Whatever one may think of their architecture, it certainly lives up to the reputation for lightness and transparency.




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Old Man & The City.

I'm always impressed by the shear number of elderly people who bike, traverse endless flights of stairs at train stations, and walk block by block of the city. Tokyo moves fast, but these people refuse to be left behind. With this in mind, a friend of mine jokingly made the point that our American and Canadian brethren are perhaps all too eager to toss in the towel and go for the powered scooters.

With a fish-based diet, nationalized health care for all citizens, and exercise through routine activity, the Japanese have the fourth highest life expectancy in the world. Canada ranks ninth, and the U.S. - the world's number one superpower - rates behind Jordan and Bosnia / Herzegovina at number 29.

Waiting for his Train to Come In.
Public benches in the city are appallingly short on supply, but that probably stems from the uber-crowded nature of Tokyo. This man is waiting for the Yamanote train at Okachimachi Station.

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Stacked Cars.

Look carefully at the lit up button consoles above - they display the organization of parked cars on the tall oblong carousels. Unlike parking garages, these parking carousels obviate the need for ramps, allow for an efficiently packed building of cars, and take up a much smaller building footprint.

Turntables.
When the owner is ready to leave, the attendant brings the car down to ground level, backs it up onto the turntable, and spins the car around so that the owner can easily enter the busy street grid.

Lights are On, but Someone's Not Home.
Stacked cars are common with smaller scale housing as well.

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Tokyo Rockabilly.

These buskers in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park routinely mix rockabilly sensibilities with Elvis looks and of course, a few breakdance moves for good measure.

"Uh yeah, make that a dozen peanut butter / banana tempura for delivery. Uh thank ya, thank ya very much."

I've also posted awe-inspiring video footage here.

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More Hakone.

The trip from Shinjuku station in Tokyo to Hakone takes about 1.5 hours. Once in the area, a combination of train, funicular rail, gondola, ferry/pirate ship, and bus moves visitors through the area. Thus, the need for cars and parking is greatly reduced. In order to reduce smog and traffic jams, national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite desperately need to implement similar measures.

Smoking Mountainside.

Iconic Mt. Fuji.

Hordes of Visitors.
With 35 million people nearby, don't expect to find solitude on a trip to Hakone. The crowds were staggering, and this trip was made on a weekday. Of course, autumn also brings out particularly large crowds.

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Arggh, matey-san!

The scene felt like a strange hybrid of Japanese-Swiss Family Robinson and an overcrowded Haitian refugee boat. Naturally, someone made the brilliant decision to use faux pirate ships as passenger ferries on Lake Ashinoko, which lies in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. I'm not sure if the rampant use of kitsch across Japan is the result of poor taste or a wicked sense of humor, or some combination of the two. Whatever the cause, sometimes you just have to give in, take snapshots, and laugh.

Aaargh, nothing like me camera and beer in hand on the high seas.

An enemy pirate ship, er, ferry steers clear of our path.

More to come on the Japanese tourist mecca of Hakone...

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O' Venerable Giant.

Mt. Fuji, which rarely makes an appearance, was spotted today from the smoking valley of Hakone. In the foreground, the volcanic sulphurous springs of Hakone release toxic gasses into the air. More to come...

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Light at the End of the Tunnel.

After a long cavernous journey on the Yurakucho subway line, large Japanese maples and a brilliant blue sky are framed by an exit back into the city.

Parking on Parks?

The Postcard View.
The Not-Rated-for-Postcard View.

What better way to enjoy the waning days of warmth than on a bed of soft grass in the sunshine? Nestled between Shinjuku and Shibuya, Yoyogi Park provides Tokyo a rare refuge from the built environment. Compared to other major cities, Tokyo rates poorly when it comes to dedicated park space per person. In fact, Tokyo residents have only 5 square meters of park space per person, compared with New York City's 25 square meters per person, for example. See The Trust for Public Land and Tokyo Planning sites for more info.

Sunbathing Cars?
When space is at such a premium, why is grass in one of Tokyo's prime parks used for parking? Try imagining this in New York's Central Park or London's Hyde Park! Whether you think as an economist or naturalist (or both), the situation is mindless.

To be fair, Yoyogi Park has Meiji Shrine - one of the city's most important shrines - and some nice woodland. Additionally, its park status was only established in 1967 after serving as a residential area for U.S. military and later as a site for the Olympics. Still, Tokyo's paltry park system needs to catch up with other world class cities.

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Rivers of Discontent.

Industrialized cities have traditionally had terrible relationships with waterways, and Tokyo is no exception to the rule. In many cases, elevated freeways simply follow the path of rivers. Aside from environmental concerns, aesthetic and economic opportunities are lost by this kind of mindless highway engineering.

Tangled Mess.

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More Green Walls Sprouting.

I've spotted another living green wall in the city; this one was on a construction site barrier near Tokyo Station.

The growing collection of vertical vegetation in Tokyo merely hints at a myriad of possibilities for more commonplace uses in the homes and offices of cities that strive to be more livable.

Yeah, it's real!

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Tokyo Design Week.

Designers from all over Japan and the world have descended down upon the city to celebrate Tokyo Design Week with exhibitions, installations, gallery showings, and more.

Sometimes simplicity produces the most startling effects. The balloons in these images were plugged with small lights, and their strings were secured to small battery packs on the ground. The movement of wind and people produces a hypnotizing effect.

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Culture Day.

Bunka No Hi, or National Culture Day.
Japanese Culture Day brings out families to Meiji Shrine, but the children steal the show.

Camera Hog.

Twirling.

Traditional Shrine in the Modern City Center.
Meiji Shrine provides a relatively peaceful green retreat in Tokyo's concrete jungle.

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Clean Surfaces of Shimbashi.

Though it's one of Tokyo's prime business districts, Shimbashi's sparkling surfaces and spotless sidewalks have a suburban office park quality to it.

Reflections of a Green Screen.

Aerial View.
The green screen in the previous photo can be seen abutting the expressway in the lower lefthand side of the photo. The translucent wall extends from the circular building, and you may be able to spot the crescent-shaped reflecting pool.
This image was provided by http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=347252&page=4.


Glass Elevation.

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Subcenter Minor.

Though Ueno is bright and glitzy, this neighborhood is a relatively minor subcenter of Tokyo. This shot was taken from a favorite perch in the neighborhood.

Rush Hour.

Rush hour commuters head one direction at this train stop in Shinagawa - home.

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Oz.

Something about this scene made me think of the Wizard of Oz, when the Wicked Witch is transporting Toto on her bike... Naturally in the Tokyo version, these little dogs are small and in a cramped space...

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Sunset on Ueno II.

Shoppers crowd the streets of Ueno as night falls.