the tokyo files 東京ファイル
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Cloud in a box – the Iino Building in Kasumigaseki
Corporate art rarely excites me, but a cloud floating inside a glass box adds a bit of whimsy to the grotesquely boring Kasumigaseki neighborhood. It’s in the category of optical-illusion art, but even when you understand how it works, the magic remains. The sculpture sits in the covered plaza in front of the new Iino … Continue reading
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Recently while exchanging emails with a reader of my blog, we got on the topic of beer in Tokyo. My response was so long it only made sense to turn it into an entry. Although edited, I’ve tried to maintain the conversational tone to (perhaps) give you my most honest impressions. While no expert in … Continue reading
Before the game I tweeted: “I’m going to tonight’s Samurai Blue world cup qualifier against Australia. I’m an unworthy fan. The blond guy is Honda. That’s all I know.” . And that’s all I would have to know as Keisuke Honda scored on a penalty kick in injury time, knotting the game at 1-1, and … Continue reading
An oasis of food, beer, movies, futsal, and…gardening…has sprouted in a former urban dead zone in the Toranomon / Kamiyacho 虎ノ門 / 神谷町 neighborhood of central Tokyo. This prime location had been vacant since 2009 when a hotel on the site was demolished. Finally the land is being put to good use. The Mori Trust … Continue reading
Living in Japan one quickly becomes acquainted with kawaii かわいい culture, the relentless pursuit of cuteness. Surely not everything in Japan is cute? Errr…Recently my apartment building asked its residents to turn in their old fire extinguishers for the following Mickey Mouse-inspired safety device: If there’s anything that doesn’t need to be adorable, it’s a fire … Continue reading
1. The road more traveled In Edo-period Japan the Tōkaidō 東海道 road linked the shōgun’s capital, Edo (modern-day Tokyo), with the emperor’s capital, Kyoto, allowing the shogun to maintain administrative control over Japan. The 303-mile (488 km) coastal road was dotted with 53 government-sanctioned post stations that supplied food and lodging for travelers; known as … Continue reading
.. “Visiting a ghost town is like seeing someone wearing a California Golden Seals hockey jersey: it’s sad and cool at the same time.” http://planetross.wordpress.com/2008/04/ . I. Team ground 団地 In February I stumbled through the tightly packed streets south of Chitose-Karasuyama station and into an open patch of ground dotted with dilapidated … Continue reading
“Buildings and cities should be designed and developed in the same continuous way that the material substance of a natural organism is produced.” – Metabolism “Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancerous cells are also called malignant cells.” – National Institutes for Health I. A man, a plan, a … Continue reading
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