Entries Tagged as ‘design’

June 19, 2008

Nothing for Sale

On one of my breaks I wandered around Meguro station and stumbled across a row of building facades that resembled a New York tenement, and then a Paris row house. It was cool and unexpected, snuggled up against a run-down dress-making school, over the rumbling Yamanote Line.
I entered and found three floors of mostly [...]

March 7, 2008

An Art Deco Masterpiece

Before the Japanese emperor regained control of Japan in the mid-19th century, the Shogun exerted control over the warlords through a variety of means. The most important way was to require his lords and their families to live in Tokyo. This allowed the Shogun to keep an eye on them, keep their families [...]

March 6, 2008

Climbing Shinjuku Peaks

I like to look at the big picture. And that’s why I love a great view. When I’m hiking I find myself gravitating towards the highest point in the area, whether it’s a peak or a ridge. It’s the same in cities. I look at a tall imposing building and I [...]

February 22, 2008

iBook iSurgery

Over a year ago, T’s iBook gasped its last breaths. The hard disc drive had died. I guess it happens every few years to every computer. It had never happened to either of us. But it was all good since she just went out and bought a beautiful Macbook. The [...]

January 31, 2008

Unpacking Marie Antoinette’s Luggage

If you live in Tokyo or if you plan to visit, this is what you have to do: Buy a Grutt Pass. For 2,000yen (or about $1 you can buy a booklet that gives you a discount or free entrance to 56 museums, zoos and aquariums. You’ve got two months to [...]

January 19, 2008

Angkorian Architectural Elements: Khmer Notes no.5

In this post I’ll describe some Khmer architectural elements with accompanying photos of mostly Angkor Wat. By no means is this an exhaustive list of the complex, religio-structural elements of Angkorian design. These are just some aspects that I found especially compelling.
The Temple Mountain
The most common type of Angkorian temple is the temple [...]

November 13, 2007

The Joys of Imperial Plunder

I rag on England quite a bit, it’s true. It’s cliche to criticize their food and weather. In truth, the weather is no worse than the US Pacific Northwest. In fact, during my first year living in England there was a great heat wave that killed hundreds [...]

October 19, 2007

The Floating World in Ueno Park

This past week I taught near Ueno Park, Tokyo’s most important park. There are several museums there, smaller galleries, a zoo, theaters, lakes and ponds, temples and shrines, and even a sizeable homeless camp. It’s one of my favorite places in Tokyo. After work I had meant to check out the visiting exhibition from the [...]

October 13, 2007

The Polder Sofa: ‘Form Follows Feeling’

On one of my long lunch breaks I visited my favorite furniture store, hhstyle. There’s nothing in there that I can afford. Even the little toy models of the furniture range in the $300-500 range. But all the pieces are at least intrigueing works of art, if not beautiful. They may [...]