architecture

The newly privatised Japan Post announced late last year that it was planning to tear down the Tokyo central post office in Otemachi, near the exit from Tokyo Station.

The 5 storey building was completed in 1931 and is reported to be in a pretty dilapidated state. As one of the last remaining notable buildings in central Tokyo still standing from this era, the Japan Institute of Architects has called for it's preservation.



Unfortunately, Heizo Takenaka, fomer Minister of Finance under Junichiro Koizumi and one of the strongest proponents of postal privatisation seems to be all ready with his own crowbar to start gleefully tearing the building to pieces. The most recent American Chamber of Commerce Japan Journal featured an interview with their 'Man of the Year' (aren't they about 5 years too late?) in which he stated

"... it’s important for Mr. Nishikawa to demonstrate some initial success, however modest, and I hope he is able to do so. If, for example, the Post Office in front of Tokyo Station is rebuilt and people like it, that would project progress — and doing so is a key test for privatization."

Although, Takenaka has a lot less influence than he did under Koizumi, I think this pretty much seals it. It's doomed!

Yesterday, I picked up a two day old newspaper to discover that Kisho Kurokawa had passed away at the relatively spritely age of 73.

Kurokawa was one of Japan's great modern architects. His legacy, through such buildings as the National Art Center Tokyo, will no doubt be enjoyed for a long time. It will be interesting to see the fate of the Nakajin Capsule Tower in Shimbashi now that the respected and eloquent voice of Kurokawa is not there to defend it.

Although the sudden death of someone in their 70s can hardly said to be unusual, Kurokawa really seemed to be full of vitality and was just as prolific as ever. The video below (in Japanese) mainly concentrates on his (not so successful) political career but things like his glass sided election car indicate the original approach he had to just about everything.

I'd noticed the 28m tall spire of this 'church' from the intersection of Aoyama Dori and Koto Dori but assumed that it was some kind of back street love hotel.

It is however, 'Saint Grace Cathedral' - a private wedding chapel for hire.



Saint Grace Cathedral seems to be (with only a few Disney Princess® flourishes) a faithfully reproduced gothic church complete with a vaulted (no doubt steel reinforced) ceiling and stained glass windows.

While it is easy to dismiss this as just another one of those 'only in Japan' things, is it so different to the huge numbers of non religious westerners who choose to get married in a church? It's all just degrees of a fairytale isn't it?

Apologies for the bad pun. As you can see there doesn't seem to be much left behind the 'destruction' fences. Unless Mitsui Fudosan build something absolutely stunning on this bit of land I'm sure I'll be disappointed. Given their propensity for building uninteresting boxes, I don't hold out hope.

Tokyo Art Beat has produced an excellent video of an interview with Kisho Kurokawa about the proposed destruction of the Nakagin Capsule Tower. Anyone who has been past this unique building in the Shimbashi/Shiodome area will instantly recognise it. Listening to Kurokawa explain the concept behind the building is also very interesting. The replaceable capsules seems to be a very Japanese idea - kind of like replacing the tatami (straw mats) or the shoji (paper screens) on a regular basis. Hopefully with the backing of such an iconic figure as Kurokawa, the building will fare better than the dearly departed Sanshin Building.

This beautiful old soba shop on a street corner in Toranomon/Nishi Shinbashi never ceased to surprise me when I passed by on my bike. Given the bland street scape of this area, this place is a real little gem. Or perhaps I should say "was a little gem" - to my dismay (I really should know better by now) I passed this building yesterday evening to find it surrounded by a construction fence. One of the very last (and one of the best) Taisho Era corner shop buildings in central Tokyo is being toppled!

It's little wonder that Japan has issues dealing with it's past. In Tokyo at least, it's as if the architectural past has been surgically removed like a cancerous legion. I'm all for regeneration - especially in an earthquake prone country like Japan, but there's no reason why the best of the old buildings like the Sanshin Building and this one can't be saved. Given that many Japanese I talk to are also disappointed by the disappearance of such buildings, the obvious missing ingredient here is political will. Unfortunately, with the influence of the construction lobby over weak politicians, I can't see this changing anytime soon.

If anyone is aware of a society that supports the preservation of old commercial and residential buildings in Japan, I'd love to know about it.

I finally had a chance to get some external shots of the Tokyo International Forum that give a better idea of it's scale. Unfortunately, the light wasn't very good and I couldn't quite get the angles I was hoping for. The best conditions to get good photos of this building would be either early morning or dusk on a day with clear blue skies.

Since completing part I, I have read and heard a few criticisms of this building. Most of this seems to be based on the interpretation of 'forum' as a place where people come together to socialise, debate, share etc. The Tokyo International Forum could be seen as a failure in this respect in that it is bounded on two sides by massive fortress like walls - erecting a physical barrier between the building and the neghbourhood of which it is a part. Although it is called a forum, the actual intended usage was never anything of the sort. It is primarily a place where people go to in order to look at works of art or watch some kind of theatre. It isn't a forum for the local community - it is a destination. As a destination and place to enjoy the arts it excels. The tardis like sense of space visitors experience when entering the foyer is a genuine surprise. This spectacular entrance must surely boost anticipation for what is to come.

If you have ever taken any of the JR lines that feed into Tokyo Station from the south, you have probably noticed the impressive steel, glass and concrete exterior of the Tokyo International Forum to the left as you leave Yurakucho Station.

Designed by Rafael Viñoly (later to be the winner of the design competition to replace the World Trade Center in New York), the main lobby of the centre has quite a nautical feel to it. The massive foyer which links to the main auditoriums via underground passageways, has just two curved sweeping walls that meet at either end like a ship with two bows. The criss-cross of beams suggest hull framing or perhaps the exposed ribcage of a giant whale. The panels on the eastern side facing the railway tracks also are reminiscent of the scales of a fish.

Taking photos of this building is so much fun - there are so many different angles and aspects to the building. For this reason, I am going to head back to get some more shots for another installment. Obviously missing from the above photos is a photo of the whole building. This is just because I had insufficient time to get far enough away to take an all encompassing shot of this huge building.

[blow own trumpet]

I have written an article that appears in this week's Metropolis. It's all about the looming destruction of the Sanshin Building. Click on the 'Last Word' column above the picture of the old building

[/blow own trumpet]

If you have managed to find your way here as a result of the article, first of all, well done! Let's just say Quiva's google rankings are on the low side.

For previous blog posts on the Sanshin Building, click here or here.

Last week, I wrote a post about the destruction of this beautiful building. As you can see from the pics below, Mitsui Fudosan seems to be commencing with the demolition. It would appear from the shot of the front facade that they have already removed the roof - although this is really difficult to tell because I'm not sure if the windows at the top are false or not.

Despite the fact that Tokyo has precious few buildings (aside from temples and shrines) that could be described as 'historic', Mitsui Fudosan (that company again) has decided to knock down the Sanshin Building (links to Japanese Wikipedia) opposite Hibiya Park near Hibiya Crossing.

This impressive building has stood on this spot since 1929 - even surviving the devastating allied bombing of Tokyo during World War II. Although the facade itself is impressive, the highlight is the art-deco inspired arcade on the lower floors. Connecting the floors of the arcade is a staircase with huge carved wooden hand rails - this place was built to impress.

Alas, despite a concerted effort by the Sanshin Building Preservation Project (site in Japanese but the gallery is well worth a look if you can navigate there), construction fences have recently been erected and it seems that the dismantling work will soon begin.

Ironic that Mitsui Fudosan is knocking this building down as they open up Tokyo Midtown just a few kilometres away. With it's art-deco interior, ornate carvings and grand staircases the Sanshin Building would have been the Tokyo Midtown of it's day.

I recently uncovered an early concept for the Midtown Tower - built by Mitsui-Fudosan with the help of a team of architects including Nikken Sekkei, Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma.

When asked to explain why the height of the building wasn't raised an extra 30 metres to make it the tallest in Japan, Ando explained "We ran out of blue blocks and we only have red blocks left. I don't like red blocks.".

Today marks the opening of Tokyo Midtown - currently Tokyo's (not Japan's) tallest building. Although closest to Roppongi station, Midtown is actually located in Akasaka 9-chome on land formerly occupied by Japan's self defence forces.

I might as well come out and say it - this building is ugly to the point of being an eyesore. The work of Mitsui-Fudosan, it is undoubtedly the most boring skyscraper in Tokyo.

The tower itself has been blotting the landscape for well over a year, so what I'll be interested to see is what they've done at the base. Although I'm not holding my breath expecting to find any interesting shops amongst the various handbag and overpriced food joints, I am interested to see what they've done to Hinokicho Koen. This was one of the few larger parks in the area where local kids could kick a ball around without it bouncing into oncoming traffic or destroying a flower bed. I suspect they've changed the name to something really imaginative like, hmm... let's think... 'Midtown Park'? I just hope it's actually been redesigned for people, but I have a bad feeling I might find a glorified jogging track for flabby pink expats - of which I'm sure Midtown will be packed with.

I'll post updates when I've had a look.

Along with the earlier featured TOD's building, the Mikimoto building in Ginza is a creation of Toyo Ito. The big, oddly shaped windows give the building a swiss cheese type look.

There is an interesting recent interview with Toyo Ito at Architecture Week. Ito makes an interesting comment about his projects in Tokyo (such as the TOD's building and the Mikimoto Building) being about 'the surface'. Because land prices are so high, and perhaps because the owners ultimately lack imagination, the shape of the building is simply determined by the shape of the plot - hence so many square block buildings in Tokyo.

This month marks the 1st anniversary since the opening of Omotesando Hills. Although it has a few interesting aspects (personally I like the sound and light design), compared to the iconic Dojun apartments that preceeded Omotesando Hills, the current development detracts from the overall appeal of the neighbourhood (unless you really must have another handbag).

The least inspiring feature of the whole development is the wall-like facade that runs for more than a hundred metres along Omotesando. Tellingly, there are no photographs of the facade anywhere on the web site - only artistic and conceptual renderings.

The interior is worth have quick wander through. The shops were so uninspiring though that I am unable to recall a single one. Probably handbags - apparently you can't have too many.