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 [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘design’
June 19, 2008
Nothing for Sale
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 [...]
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 [...]
