I will present one area of Tokyo at a time making one or more posts on each and I also want to make a post each week about quirky things I that make Japan unique, language tips, or interesting and inspiring that I discover on the web. Everyday in Japan I explored different areas the massive city that is Tokyo and since I am a keen observer I saw many interesting things. The first area of Tokyo I am going to write about is Roppongi.
Roppongi is an area of Tokyo where foreigners tend to go. The area is a place where people go at night since there are many clubs in the area. There are two main places of interest which I visited. These are the Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown building complexes. They are new developments and the concept behind them is that they combine offices with commercial and residential spaces. They are basically a mini city with all that is needed is found in one place: restaurants, a mall, convenience stores. It is quite an interesting urban concept, it is very convenient for those living there. The architecture of these building complexes is ultra modern inside and out.
The Roppongi Hills
This is a picture of the entrance to the mall in the Roppongi Hills complex. I really love the combination of metal and glass used in the construction. The way the glass is placed creates an interesting pattern of colors due to the way the light passes through the glass. The interior of the building is very nice as well using stones and wood and metal with lots of plants and water features. It is truly an example of excellent architectural design with interesting details. Though I liked the Roppongi Hills the Tokyo midtown was even nicer.
The Tokyo Midtown Complex
The combination of wood with the metal and glass are a really good looking combination. Even the lamps have a funky design and the exposed metal structure that supports a glass roof , visible in this photo is an interesting detail. I can’t but find these building to be stirring, there seems to have been a lot of though put into their design which is something I try to do when I design a website, even small details can make all the difference. The combination of materials continues inside the building as well.
Inside the Tokyo Midtown
In this photo there are strings that are barely visible, these strings have small water droplets traveling along them that drop into a bowl like receptacle creating quite a unique fountain. It is these unique design details which stimulate my creativity. The next area I will write about Odaiba, an area of Tokyo built entirely on reclaimed land in the Tokyo bay and it features many buildings with futuristic designs as well as a monorail system.
