Tokyo for

Architecture

Wandering Tokyo’s streets, you’ll see a jumble of traditional wooden houses, glass-and-steel skyscrapers, and innovative tiny homes. Often combining traditional Japanese craftsmanship and aesthetics with modern materials and tastes, Tokyo’s architecture is among the most influential in the world.

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t The Tokyo Skytree piercing the clouds high above the city’s skyline

Meiji-era Surprises

After 250 years of isolation, Japan rejoined the global community in the mid-1800s, at the dawn of the Meiji era. The architecture of this period is characterized by new Western influences, with brick and stone buildings cropping up all over the city. Most visitors will come across the Meiji-era style at Tokyo Station, where the original red-brick building from 1914 still stands. But it’s worth seeking out the city’s finest Meiji work, Akasaka Palace, such a perfectly European-looking building it can feel like you’ve been transported to another city. The interior decor is an intriguing combination of ostentatious European styles and Japanese touches like samurai statues.

Traces of Edo

Many of Japan’s distinct styles were developed during the Edo period (1603–1868), when the country was closed off to the rest of the world. To catch a glimpse of this bygone era, explore the grounds of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (www.tatemonoen.jp), where relocated and reconstructed buildings recall the unique look of 17th-century Tokyo. The Yanaka district is the best place to see Edo’s legacy today; its narrow streets are home to wood-fronted houses and local shrines, giving the area a traditional small-town character.

Modern Mountains

The Roppongi district is home to one of Japan’s modern marvels of engineering: the Mori Tower. This cutting-edge skyscraper mitigates the risks posed by earthquakes with 192 fluid-filled shock absorbers. These semi-active dampers are filled with a thick oil and, as the tower begins to sway – as a result of tremor or high winds – the oil sloshes in the opposite direction to balance the structure. Another modern wonder in the capital is the Tokyo Skytree. Completed in 2012, and designed to evoke a traditional pavilion, this tower stretches 2,080 ft (634 m) above Tokyo. This latter-day pagoda is ostensibly a TV broadcasting tower, but also has restaurants and observation decks that offer tremendous views of Tokyo.

Sacred Structures

Shrines and temples are some of the most distinctive buildings in Japan. Common features to look out for include vermilion torii gates, troughs for ritual washing, and shimenawa, the straw rope with white zigzag paper strips that marks the boundary between the everyday and spirit worlds. The Tosho-gu shrine in Nikko symbolizes the power of the Tokugawa shogunate. Take a two-week tour to hear an expert unpack Japanese religious architecture (www.architecturaladventures.org).

WHAT WAS METABOLISM?

Postwar reconstruction efforts in Japan’s cities spawned new ideas about the future of urban planning and design. One of the most important of these was Metabolism. This movement came about during preparation for the 1960 Tokyo World Design Conference, and embraced the idea of modern cities in flux – constantly changing and adapting to meet the needs of their residents. This called for modular mega-structures that could grow and shrink according to necessity. Although frustrated in their desire to build Tokyo anew, Metabolist devotees, such as Kenzo Tange and Kisho Kurokawa, exerted a major influence on the country’s architecture. Check out Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza.

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