Tokyo isn’t exactly the prettiest city in the world, and part of that is due to its complete mishmash of architecture. The traditional and modern. Beautiful and carbuncle. All haphazardly mixed throughout the capital.
Like these hugely contrasting homes for example. A character-filled but unappealing old place, and its infinitely more comfortable, but entirely characterless, modern cousins.
hazel says
It’s views like this that make me love Tokyo. Much more interesting than endless glass buildings!
I’ll bet they are all built inches from each other too?
Lee says
They were. In fact, if you look closely, you can see just how close the building on the right is. Not much light is going to get in there…
sullivan says
its very normal in asia’s cities, most of them still have old houses that are built many years ago
Lee says
That’s very true. Same in many western cities too, although the contrast is usually not so stark.
Iwao Yamamoto says
Exactly the same opinion as for the sight of Tokyo blended with the old and the new. But for the one living in downtown Tokyo; so called Shitsmachi the old house among tall buildings makes sentimental indeed. The feeling perceived only the people in Tokyo as I. But I am always moved by your pictures and the comments for them. Nice pictures perhaps not taken by ordinary people but wonderful.
Lee says
Thank you.
A few of my favourite shitamachi areas are seeing a fair bit of redevelopment, so these scenes will probably become even more common.
Derg says
It’s shitamachi. And Japanese dont use windows to look out of… They use them for ventilation.
Lee says
And for sunlight, surely.
Actually though this wasn’t shitmachi. Just a sole house amidst a load of apartment/office buildings.
willy says
Evidently some of the old, more treasured buildings in Japan are suffering due to the stifled sunlight in such situations…
Lee says
Definitely. This place must have been cold before, but with very little sunlight, it must be absolutely baltic now.
ying says
Reminds me of Carl’s house in “Up”!
Lee says
Yes, I know what you mean. No doubt the owners wish they too could fly up and away…
Squidpuppy says
Imagine what the neighborhood was like when the house was built… Reminds me of a childhood book where a house is hemmed in by metropolitan construction, and it becomes very sad. However, I don’t think this house will have as happy an ending – moving out to the country side.
It must be quite dreary living in a shadow and sound sink, city noise amplified by the hard surfaces and no direct sunlight. Perfect place for a hikkikomori though, I’d think. House look asleep – dreaming of sunnier days.
Lee says
Hadn’t thought about the sound as well. Not good all round. And no, hard to imagine a happy ending. Presumably an old person that lives there and quite understandably didn’t want to move. The developers will have to wait til they die before they get their hands on more land.
Jeffrey says
It is blocks like this that pushed me towards studying Japanese housing in grad school (almost as useful as my BA in English). The amount of wasted “air space” in Japanese cities is appalling. Rarely is there anything charming about these cut-up blocks holding four or five buildings where there should be maybe two. It’s like eminent domain doesn’t exist.
Lee says
That’s interesting. Had never really thought about that, but yeah, they are neither practical or appealing.
Issues primarily in relation to land ownership or building regulations?