Towards a totalscape: sound signal in Shibuya

Tchavolo 来ますよ！

At the end of the month Tchavolo Schmitt is coming to tokyo.
He also appears in the movie Swing by Tony Gatlif:

deep into the ocean

Tokyo aqua park. Fishes and people.

China quicker than japan?

There is one thing terribly irritating in Japan: the continuous waste of plastic bags.
Even when buying chewing gum I was offered a plastic bag.
Since yesterday China has banned free plastic bags in shops.
Whwn is it going to be in Japan and USA?

you do not like japan?

since I decided I will leave japan at the end of the month everyone keeps asking.
I like and I critic Japan but it is an interesting and stimulating place to live in.
The question I asked myself is another:
after a year and a half in a new city, as I see it, there are two options  start settling down or leaving.
In practical terms would mean: stop living in a guest house,  start crucial activities that require 2-3 years involvement like start a gipsy band, a course of calligraphy and improve japanese language.
I feel this is necessary because one cannot live in a temporary state.  This, after the first period of excitement, must evolve.
Being under 30, under 1.8m tall, single, under 70kg, earning under 20,000€ a year and curious I donot see many reason for not going to another place. Because that is what I am doing, not leaving Japan but going to another place which in this case will be Beijing.

Tokyo vs Beijing pt 2

I like yoghurt. Eating it in Tokyo or Beijing is quite a different experience:

In tokyo one enters the omnipresent “conbini” open everyday, everyhour.

Then wonders inside in a storm of colour and lights. Goes to the “no-door” fridge and takes what he prefers.
At the counter the yoghurt ( one cup) will be placed in a plastic bag with the plastic spoon inside another plastic bag.
One can go out now but where to eat it? apparently beside construction workers nobody seems to eat in the streets so it is up to you to find a place hidden enough to eat your yoghurt. After eating one may want to go back to the conbini that is probably still the closest place where to find a trash bin.

Beijing: the shops, unless you are in the western like center might look like that.
The yoghurt is sold in a thick ceramic cup. With a grey green colour. A  foil seals the top.  There is one type, no choice.  After buying  one has to drink it with a strow . He cannot leave the area around the shop because the cup will be recicled.

one minute thought: addition vs subtraction

While waiting at the counter of Mitsubishi bank two images of Japan became extremely clear:
there is a Japan that uses subtraction as a main technique of composition. It erases, cancels, reduces, makes dense. That acts in one movement. That cuts with one hit. Think about traditional arts.
Then there a Japan that uses addition: addition of Alphabets (kanji+romaji+hiragana+katakana), of information ( as in any busy metro station), of functions. That takes decision after endless meeting, that overlaps streets…

Fuji 2007

Finally I publish a few pictures of the mt fuji climb in september 2007.

surfing in the rain

Yesterday we did what every decent person should do in tokyo: go surfing in kamakura.

Tokyo Fashion

an article you might find interesting about tokyo’s fashion.

Insulation, insulation

that’s one of the key to understand japanese house design!

Architecture for the eye

A few days ago I saw a little book with a collection of picture of housing complex.
Today I read the interview by Ping Mag with the author Ken Oyama.

Without any doubt the work is visually appealing, joins a certain tendency that takes alook to daily “low culture” objects. Nothing that new.
What worries me is another aspect:
-isn’t it dangerous to look at architecture in such a visual way (read the article) ?

-after looking at a nice pattern do we still realize that that black square is a little window from which a not so well paid worker looks out?
-does this visual binge hide the fact that this building do mostly nothing to increase one’s living dignity?

Mumbai vs Tokyo

An interesting article about comparison of Mumbai and Tokyo

Golden week ops, golden days

This year golden week was only 4 days. No complain, no “bridges” between vacation days, we are good japanese workers.
Getting out from tokyo i went to japanese countryside. With bullet train:

not to forget…Hiroshima

Sento Bday Karaoke Sunday

HEre the video of the lovely bday at the old people sento:

The awakening of critic

Finally an article rising some interesting question about the SANAA’s NY museum.

Construction Fence

Ping Mag online magazine published an article on construction fences featuring some works of Studio Han Design.

Wrapping

It is wall known that japanese have developed a unique sensitivity to wrapping.
Take a look to some very nice wrapping paper

Asian European GDP Cup

Anniversary!

Standing bars are quite popular in Japan. Something completely missing in Italy.
Yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the best standing bar in Shimokitazawa where I had the oppportunity to play (not so nicely to be honest) with Sammy Barbeque ( the pirate), and Kume Django san (in the middle).
My apology to Piazzolla and Velazquez.

Heidegger vs Japan

While I am reading The ethical function of Architecture by Karsten Harries a quotation  grabs my attention :

An authentic person always has time.
Heidegger, Sein un Zeit, 7th ed. (Tuebingen: Niemeyer,19553) p.410.

In praise of tofu

Usually in Italy when someone eats tofu people around him would look sorry and ask: “are you on a diet?”. Somehow tofu=tasteless experience.
I cannot deny that I was also part of that idea but since in Japan I have to say that tofu is good. No, I am not on a diet, tofu is good. Unfortunately what is exported is usually not that good. If you come to japan I recommend to try a supercool and oishii brand: otokomae.

Towards an haptic glance.

Two weeks ago I finally did it: I bought books on amazon which is a really dangerous thing to start. Among those I bought there was The eyes of the skin by Juhani Pallasmaa which i walked by on a spring day in Helsinki.
Why to read the book:
-it brings sight down from the pedestal that western thought created
-in simple words Pallasmaa brings our attention back to the real concerns of architecture which have really little to do with retinal images

This should already be enough. The best thing Pallasmaa does is to bring (as other do, Steven Hall for example, just to name one) the discourse of architecture on architectural topics which have partially to do with geometry, image and language.
In rough words we could say that everything starts from the body, from the tactile feelings of the skin.

I am not surprised this comes from a scandinavian person. For what I have seen in my life the approach to architectural design has different roots in different areas:
- in italy, and south of europe it is almost a humanistic discipline. the story around the project is almost more important than the project itself. Do not forget the for Sottsass and many others a project is a metaphor to discuss life
- in northen europe (scandinavia especially) there is still a strong phenomenological approach.
-here in japan architecture belongs to the construction disciplines. of course it has a dense poetical spirit too.

lunch break consideration: summer and japanese food

The picture of today’s lunch brings up one of the few weakness of japanese cuisine: the food choice during hot weather.
Despite what japanese friends tell me that there are many japanese summer recipe, I am still skeptical about it.

The easier to eat are zaru soba, cold soba. Maybe one can switch to sushi or sashimi but not much more. In fact many people still eat more or less the same food they eat in winter time.
The problem starts from the fact that japanese eat fruits and vegetables in small amounts.  If one orders a tomato in an izakaya will get one ( or half) tomato nicely sliced. From this way of eating it is difficult and expensive to imagine a person in the summer eating a big bowl of salad with 3 tomatoes, salad, mushrooms and other things…

Website update

I have uploaded two competition I did in the last months:Arcipelago and Tea House, with Honda-san.

Kumamoto competition

While waiting to see the results of the last competition　here (1 2) you can see the proposal entry.

Omotesando Open Air Architectural Museum

Co-branding is the usual strategy of fashion brands when it comes to architecture.
The two areas where this phenomenon is most visible are Ginza and Omotesando/Aoyama.
They are an open air contemporary architecture museum.
Here a view on Omotesando, By Ping Mag

Elements of urbanscape: taxi

An article of Ping mag on Taxi lights.

SANAA in Zollverein

On Galeriie.net there is a nice video about SANAA’s Zollverein school.

Tokyo and sports: cycling

Finally back after two weeks of intensive work for a bus station competition in Kumamoto.
Lately, probably due to the hours spend in front of a screen, I feel like doing some sports.
In Tokyo this might not be the easiest ting to do. In fact it is easier to find a CD store open at 4am than a small free football court.

The first idea one has is to buy a bicycle.
A second hand costs from 2,000 to 4,000 yen. (14€-25€) .
So far everything is easy.
Then one MUST register to the local office.
Because every bicycle is registered policeman ( especially young ones with not so busy work) want to check if you riding your bike. I have been checked 4 times in 10 months. Twice last week end. The procedure is not long but it is annoying when lending your bicycle to a friend, then police check, then your friend has to explain the bicycle is from a friend….

The main problem about cycling is parking. I have never seen a city enforcing such a strict policy against bicycles. To park is not allowed more or less everywhere. Only in parking spots that cost 100Y a day. Not much, but 1 month = 2.000Y…if the bicycle is worth 3.000Y it is easy that it makes no sense.

Sometimes police come with a truck and take away all the illegal bikes. The owner have to go to the main office and pay a fine ( around 3.000) usually to get the bike back. This situation creates quite an original feeling: here in tokyo people are not afraid of bike robbers but of the police.

Tezuka’s interview

This is interesting even for no architect.
An interview with Tezuka architect about a very interesting kindergarden. A few clues: trees inside the building, a flat roof here kids play….

http://www.detail.de/Plus/Filme/De/2008-03-tezuka/tezuka

Manga museum in Kyoto

Kyoto does not only represents the ancient heart of Japan. Now it offers a museum about one of the most interesting phenomenon of japanese sub culture: manga.

Architect World Cup: Japan

What if there was an Architect World Championship?
Here is how Honda san and I imagined Japan.

Japan

The national team is not anymore an outsider, they have great chances for the final victory. The team has probably one of the best mid field: the solidity of Ando, the creativity of Ito and two wings such as SANAA and Shigeru Ban.
Key player:  if SANAA is in a good day…
Keep an eye on: Ishigami is believed to be the new Pato, let’s see.

Coming next Holland, USA, Italy, France.

In praise of abstraction: Tokyo District Diagram

There an indescribable beauty in diagrams. Especially during this sur-modernité.
Tokyo is truly multi centered. Districts fight with each other trying to attract people to come and consume in their area. This a quick diagram I have been working on with my work collegues. Comments are welcome.

In praise of chikatetsu

地下鉄　chikatetsu is the japanese word for underground metro train (with 3 ideograms: ground, under, iron).
Tokyo structure and layout is often influenced by it. Last week I saw the advertisement of a new mansion that had as a plus the fact of being 1 minute away from the metro station.
Japanese try to have their house and their job on the same metro line. For this reason magazines order flat rental opportunities based on metrolines. One can check all the flat available on the Odakyu line or the inokashira line…
If these seems rather dull and unexciting take a look at Joe Nishizawa’s pictures and probably  they will look quite close to an image of a futuristic Tokyo .

mi dicono che non scrivo abbastanza

abbastanza ma purtroppo Tokyo divora ogni ora del giorno.
Viaggiare in Giappone è certamente diverso, immersivo, alienante ma anche un pò pericoloso non certo per l’incolumità fisica ma per i nostri abiti.

Mangiare con le bacchette, dalla delicata funzione indicatrice (come osservava Barthes), può essere una difficile e sbrodolante esperienza. Ecco una lista di pericolosità:

Udon*****
Grado di pericolosità massimo per gli spaghettoni in brodo. Nemmeno il cucchiaio vi salverà.  Sconsigliati se siete in una cena di lavoro.

Soba***
Dipende se li mangiate in brodo (meno complicati degli udon ma da non sottovalutare) oppure freddi.

Uniqlo

Uniqlo is the king brand of cheap & chic clothes here in Japan.
An interview with the founder on CNN that you might want to look at.

Optical Dot starts!

Tokyo Metropolitan Highway is a massive road system built inside the city, between buildings, above stations. Being overimposed on the existing urban landscape its shape is rich of sharp turns, slopes and crossings. This situation creates several thousand accidents every year. Tokyo Metropolitan Office started a campain, Tokyo Smart Driver, in order to improve driving condition. Different projects are carried on: improving safety conditions, light installation, adv. graphic, a music cd to listen while driving.

Studio Han Design is involved with the Optical Dot project.
The first trial on a new design for driving in Japan has started !
- Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway (Shutoko) starts making more comfortable environment for drivers -

Shutoko starts a trial experiment on 5th Feb 2008 as a part of traffic-control measures for a route between Bijogi Junction on Saitama-line and the tollgate on Urawaminami-line.
This experimental project uses a white oval shape pattern on the road surface to help drivers to feel their speed naturally.
This is the first trial on Sequence Design* on road surface in Japan and represents a new approach to traffic-control measures

*Sequence Design
Design for road space that enables drivers to feel the gradual change of the road and to adapt to it.

More:
*images and video simulation

Yu-un house

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to visit this private house during a photography exhibition vernissage. It is usually not opened to the public unless the owner, Takeo Obayashi, is opening on special occasion. The architecture by Tadao Ando is completed by two projects by Eliasson and Tokujin.
Here an article about it.
here something more about the quasi brick used by eliasson