As mentioned last time Japan is not standing still. Guidebooks tend to credit Japan’s new buildings on fires and wars, but that really isn’t the truth as far as the modern landscape is concerned. Otherwise, most buildings in Tokyo would have been built around 1950. Actually, most have been rebuilt once and sometimes several times since 1950. I’m not talking about a remodel. Functioning buildings are torn down and constructed from scratch on a regular basis.

There aren’t many old buildings where I am from on the west coast of the U.S., but that isn’t because the structures have all been rebuilt. Other places I’ve visited (Denmark, Italy, France) have many buildings more than a few decades old and some are much older. Not so in Japan, even with its long history. Outside of Tokyo isn’t an exception as the places that claim a history of hundreds of years have usually been rebuilt, frequently many times.

Here are a few examples I have recently noticed.

Ginza’s Kabuki Theater closed last week. It will be gutted and a new Kabuki Theater will be built in its place. The old Kabukiza was ancient by Tokyo standards at about 60 years. I’m sad it will no longer exist, but it was very dated. There was no leg room in the seats for anyone over about 5′ 8″. Handicap access was non-existent. Modern amenities were completely missing. The rebuilding of this place actually makes sense. Once the new Kabukiza is opened in 2013, the old one will be forgotten.

This was the sign in front of Kabukiza about 190 days ago.

Next up is the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka. With less than 30 years of life under its belt, this hotel will be demolished in March of 2011. A 40-story, luxury hotel has less than a 30-year life these days? Is construction cheap or something? I don’t think so. I don’t understand why such buildings are “refreshed” in Tokyo on such a regular basis.

Finally, I was walking down Meiji Doori the other day and came upon a huge construction site on the corner of Omotesando where the GAP was a few weeks before. The building seemed pretty nice to me, but now it is gone. Another will soon fill its place. The building was only 10-years old! 10-year old buildings being razed for another to be built in its place seems more than a bit strange.

Such is life in Japan’s building merry-go-round.

Posted on May 1st, 2010 under Japan. Tags: buildings, Tokyo. Comments: 1

For over a year (back in the late 1980s) the Bandit Roller Coaster (バンデットローラーコースター) at Yomiuri Land (よみうりランド) was the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. Many are now faster and/or taller, but this is still a great ride. Ryan (on the right) and Ellie (in the black and white) rode it about seven times last Sunday.

There is a sign saying that you can now see Tokyo’s Sky Tree from it on a clear day. Spot the Sky Tree and you are supposed to have good luck. I don’t see it in the above picture, but I still feel lucky.

Posted on April 28th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: amusement parks, ellie, ryan, Tokyo, yomiuriland. Comments Off on Bandit at Yomiuri Land

Three weeks ago Tokyo experienced one of only about two or three blue sky days of the month. It’s been a disappointing spring on the weather front so far with lots of rain, clouds, and some cold temperatures. But on that one nice day we took advantage of the good weather and rode our bikes from Nishi-Waseda to Yanaka via Gokokuji, pictured above.

Posted on April 26th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, cherry blossoms, gokokuji, sakura, Tokyo. Comments Off on The Buddha rests under the cherry blossoms

“Three old women were the only passengers on the Sunday morning tram [from the end of the line at Waseda]. They all looked at me and my flowers. One of them gave me a smile. I smiled back. I sat in the last seat and watched the ancient houses passing close to the window. The tram almost touched the overhanging eaves. The laundry deck of one house had ten potted tomato plants, next to which a big black cat lay stretched out in the sun. In the garden of another house, a little girl was blowing soap bubbles. I heard an Ayumi Ishida song coming from somewhere, and could even catch the smell of curry cooking. The tram snaked its way through this private back-alley world. A few more passengers got on at stops along the way, but the three old women went on talking intently about something, huddled together face-to-face.

I got off near Otsuka Station… None of the shops along the way seemed to be doing very well, housed as they were in old buildings with gloomy-looking interiors and faded writing on some of the signs. Judging from the age and style of the buildings, this area had been spared the wartime air raids, leaving whole blocks intact. A few of the places had been entirely rebuilt, but just about all had been enlarged or repaired in places, and it was these additions that tended to look shabbier than the old buildings themselves.” Norwegian Wood p. 84

Posted on April 23rd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: bikes, book quotes, buildings, haruki murakami, Tokyo, trains. Comments Off on Tokyo tram

Today’s picture is of the same place as the top picture in this prior blog entry, Shinjuku’s Kabukicho. The differences are the vantage point and time of day.

Posted on April 9th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: buildings, shinjuku, signs, Tokyo. Comments Off on Spring in Shinjuku