day 02_Tokyo_HdM: PRADA store

The building is truly spectacular. I didn't see it during the day, so my perception of it and my consequent thoughts might be obscured by the mysteriousness of the night itself. Even at night, though, one cannot help but notice the structure when passing by, although I was having a hard time finding it, perhaps because I expected something much more grandiose, for lack of a better word. The way the building announced itself on the street was subtle. Its crystal-like mass almost dissolved into the night sky at the tip of the structure (no lights were on above the street level inside the building) and only small glittering reflections from the bowing glass panes indicated its presence. The bottom appeared to continue into the ground, as if passing through and continuing beyond the faceted surface of the adjacent street. I couldn’t stop thinking about the Japanese traditions of lightness and ephemerality, and in a strange way I thought that Herzog and deMeuron (HdM), with their incredible attention to detail and their understanding of site and local culture and traditions, were able to create a building that is more Japanese than any other building I have encountered so far in Tokyo (Toyo Ito's Tod’s store looks heavy and almost clumsy next to HdM’s crystalline prism).

day 02_Tokyo_high-density nodes

Shinjuku and Shibuya

The closer one gets to the major transportation nodes, not only does the intensity of human traffic escalate, but the facades of the buildings start to disappear under the overwhelming amount of advertising signs.

day 02_Tokyo_exterior staircases

Weather it is driven by local code, or it is more of a formal decision on the part of an architect, I am not sure, but the clear expression of the stairs (fire escape I assume) is a reoccurring theme on Tokyo's streetscape. The staircase often occupies a large portion of the street facade, which in many cases is the only visible facade, since many buildings are tightly 'packed' together with barely a foot or two between. But unlike the 'typical' utilitarian staircases of tall buildings in US cities (I have a vivid image of Chicago's rusty metal staircases in my mind), Tokyo's staircases are sculptural, many times with great detailing, and are either fully integrated into the rest of the building's facade or clearly stand out on their own.

day 02_Tokyo_transportation

No need to go into extensive description of the transportation networks in Tokyo. Yes, it can be daunting at first to navigate (Tokyo has about a dozen different companies operating the various train, subway, and bus lines), but since everything is highly organized, incredibly efficient and ALWAYS on time, one can very quickly get the hang of it. While walking through the city, it's impossible to escape the sight of railroad tracks and highways elevated on multiple levels, coming in front of one building and disappearing behind another. Train and subway seem to be the primary mode of transport, along with bicycles and walking of course. In fact, I was struck by the lack of cars on the roads, or I should say, by the volume of cars. Experiencing many traffic jams in big European (Athens, oh boy!) or American cities (last time on Park Avenue in Manhattan, what a nightmare!), I expected similar conditions in Tokyo. But angry honking drivers and traffic moving at a snail's pace does not seem to exist in Tokyo. Perhaps it is the efficiency and reliability of the public transportation that does not force people into driving (or even owning) a car, or perhaps I just wasn't at the right place at the rush time... but so far; it seems to be the former.

Shinjuku Station (with over 200 exits used by more than 3 million people a day):

Shibuya Station is the 2nd busiest in Tokyo, with the famous pedestrian crossing. The intersection is many times compared to the Times Square intersection, but honestly, this is nothing what one experiences at Times Square. The crowds of people coming from all directions at rapid speed and the flickering screens playing the latest Japanese pop video.... well, it can be quite disorienting.

day 01_Tokyo_first impressions

I spent most of my first day walking around the city without any preconceived plan. My hotel is located just east of Shinjuku Station, the busiest train station in the world according to Wikipedia, which serves well over 3 million people every day. I already had the 'pleasure' of almost getting lost in the labyrinth of exits and arcades at the station the night before, so instead of revisiting the station area again, I chose to walk the opposite direction, towards the Imperial Palace Gardens and Tokyo Station. The roughly one and a half hour walk to Tokyo Station was very pleasant, but nothing what I had expected. The stereotypical picture of Tokyo is usually composed of skyscrapers lined with neon lights and crowds of people crossing busy traffic lanes. After all, Tokyo is the largest megacity in the world by population (35,600,000), so one naturally expects crowded streets with tons of activity and lack of space. However, the residential area of Shinjuku was composed mostly of low-rise buildings, three-four stories high, tightly packed together with only a one-lane street in-between and hardly any people around.

The metropolitan area of Tokyo has several large parks and many smaller ones which really do act as urban voids within the dense urban fabric, providing retreat from the surrounding metropolis. The area around Tokyo Station looks like any other business district, with generic office towers and construction cranes on every corner, however, I did not explore it in great detail yet, so I will return to it in the next few days.

I must admit, after reaching Tokyo Station, I was somewhat disappointed. Even after visiting the infamous Roppongi area, my thirst for the 'crazy neon lights and crowds' was not yet quenched. Tokyo seems to be a perfectly livable city, with incredibly organized infrastructure - from roads and train tracks, to shopping mall escalators and (highly sophisticated!) toilet system - and an even more admirable ability to keep everything impeccably clean.

But the area around Shinjuku Station did not disappoint. This is where Tokyo's reputation comes from. The facades transform under the flickering sea of neon lights and the buildings disappear. What are left are business men in suits sitting in bars and tiny local restaurants, young girls and guys in stylish outfits with died and spiked up hair roaming the streets looking for ... what? I haven't figured it out yet. In Tokyo, everyone always seems to be rushing somewhere else.