English
Moshi-Moshi Japan
By Angelika Taschen
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When I arrived in Tokyo completely exhausted from five days' hotel research and four nights' partying in Peking and Shanghai at Narita Airport, Satomi-San, whom I will call Hell's Driver from now on, was waiting for me at the exit with a big smile. I almost hadn't slept the night before because I had to say farewell to all my new Shanghai friends, especially Jay, who is called "the king of shipping" and owns a part of the harbour as well as several night clubs in China, including the brand new night club VIP ROOM which opened just five days before I arrived in Shanghai and were we celebrated his birthday. Jay had even managed - also after almost no sleep and more than a few drinks - to pick me up (wearing sunglasses) in the morning at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai (the highest hotel in the world so far) to drive me (actually his driver was driving, he himself sitting in the back) with his Hummer (a very rare car in Shanghai - my friend the Chinese writer Mian Mian calls it "the big dick car") to drive me to the airport in Pudong.
On my arrival in Tokyo, I was hoping to check in right away at the Grand Hyatt Hotel to take a shower before dinner, but this turned out to be the wrong idea, since Satomi-San did not want to waste a second of my limited time in Tokyo, so we immediately went to visit all the brand new fashion stores, one architectural jewel next to the other: Herzog and de Meuron for Prada, Toyo Ito for Tod's, Kazuyo Sejima for Dior (my very favourite, just breathtakingly beautiful). I visited each store from the top to the bottom floor, avoiding looking at the expensive clothes so as not to waste a second of my precious time (didn't I adapt right away to the Japanese way?) and just enjoying the outrageous architecture. After seeing all these magnificent buildings, which inspired me so much that I no longer felt tired, we visited the TASCHEN Japan office, where we meet Mai Umeda, who joined us for the rest of the evening. At the office we made plans to visit several architects whose work I admire very much and whose recent, not-yet-published residential buildings I would like to include in my planned book Living in Japan: Shigeru Ban, Masaki Endoh and Kengo Kuma, - with Kazuyo Sejima. Satomi-San had already arranged an appointment on my return from Kyoto, where I also wanted to do some hotel research for a new hotel book series.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
When I arrived in Tokyo completely exhausted from five days' hotel research and four nights' partying in Peking and Shanghai at Narita Airport, Satomi-San, whom I will call Hell's Driver from now on, was waiting for me at the exit with a big smile. I almost hadn't slept the night before because I had to say farewell to all my new Shanghai friends, especially Jay, who is called "the king of shipping" and owns a part of the harbour as well as several night clubs in China, including the brand new night club VIP ROOM which opened just five days before I arrived in Shanghai and were we celebrated his birthday. Jay had even managed - also after almost no sleep and more than a few drinks - to pick me up (wearing sunglasses) in the morning at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai (the highest hotel in the world so far) to drive me (actually his driver was driving, he himself sitting in the back) with his Hummer (a very rare car in Shanghai - my friend the Chinese writer Mian Mian calls it "the big dick car") to drive me to the airport in Pudong.
On my arrival in Tokyo, I was hoping to check in right away at the Grand Hyatt Hotel to take a shower before dinner, but this turned out to be the wrong idea, since Satomi-San did not want to waste a second of my limited time in Tokyo, so we immediately went to visit all the brand new fashion stores, one architectural jewel next to the other: Herzog and de Meuron for Prada, Toyo Ito for Tod's, Kazuyo Sejima for Dior (my very favourite, just breathtakingly beautiful). I visited each store from the top to the bottom floor, avoiding looking at the expensive clothes so as not to waste a second of my precious time (didn't I adapt right away to the Japanese way?) and just enjoying the outrageous architecture. After seeing all these magnificent buildings, which inspired me so much that I no longer felt tired, we visited the TASCHEN Japan office, where we meet Mai Umeda, who joined us for the rest of the evening. At the office we made plans to visit several architects whose work I admire very much and whose recent, not-yet-published residential buildings I would like to include in my planned book Living in Japan: Shigeru Ban, Masaki Endoh and Kengo Kuma, - with Kazuyo Sejima. Satomi-San had already arranged an appointment on my return from Kyoto, where I also wanted to do some hotel research for a new hotel book series.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Living in Japan
Hardcover 10.2 x 11.9 in., 200 pages
$ 29.99
$ 29.99
Nippon nests: Today's most exceptional Japanese homes
Editor Angelika Taschen in the garden of Yoshida Sanso