Moshi-Moshi Japan
By Angelika Taschen
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Next we drove to Ginza where I admired Renzo Piano's building for Hèrmes, beautifully illuminated - the night is the only time to see it. On the way, Satomi-San pointed out many more buildings by famous architects, including several by Kenzo Tange. But it was very difficult for me to concentrate on seeing the buildings since Satomi-San was such a crazy driver: he never drove just 50 km/h but at least 90 km/h, which I felt was like 150 km/h, and since he did not want to waste a second of my time, he also preferred to run red lights at huge intersections and pass by long lines to be first in front of the traffic lights. I was embarrassed but also happy not to have to queue up. When I asked him if he ever had problems with the police, he proudly smiled, "I am an outlaw." (Worse was when we were driving in all the tiny little streets to find and look at the most recent houses by the famous architects I am considering for the book, sometimes there was a very loud noise to the right or left because the car was bigger than the street, but it seemed Satomi-San was deaf or he just did not care). At the street in front of the office of architect Shigeru Ban was a sign "do not enter", but Satomi told Mai to remove the barrier so we could drive in and park in front of the door (preferably diagonally in the middle of the street because we did not have any time to park correctly). Then Mai had to move the sign back, same procedure on the way out. I asked Satomi-San if I could call him Ferrari-San? To judge by his smile he did not dislike it and if I could afford a Ferrari I would have given it to him as a present.
The most surprising thing about architects' offices is how small and messy they are, even in the case of an architect as famous as Shigeru Ban. And how minimal and empty the architecture is. (Shigeru Ban also has a new office on the top floor of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which is quite an amazing project itself, but which I only saw on photographs.) He was working on a fantastic new residential house, "The Boomerang House", of which I saw the model and plans in the office. But unfortunately this house is going to be built on Shelter Island near New York, so it will not be suitable for our book Living in Japan - too bad. So I decided to shoot the "Shutter House", which is rarely seen except in highly specialized architecture magazines, but getting permission to shoot this house in Tokyo, which would be only two months later, is a reading-Room story in itself; but rest assured, it will be reproduced in the book, I promise.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Next we drove to Ginza where I admired Renzo Piano's building for Hèrmes, beautifully illuminated - the night is the only time to see it. On the way, Satomi-San pointed out many more buildings by famous architects, including several by Kenzo Tange. But it was very difficult for me to concentrate on seeing the buildings since Satomi-San was such a crazy driver: he never drove just 50 km/h but at least 90 km/h, which I felt was like 150 km/h, and since he did not want to waste a second of my time, he also preferred to run red lights at huge intersections and pass by long lines to be first in front of the traffic lights. I was embarrassed but also happy not to have to queue up. When I asked him if he ever had problems with the police, he proudly smiled, "I am an outlaw." (Worse was when we were driving in all the tiny little streets to find and look at the most recent houses by the famous architects I am considering for the book, sometimes there was a very loud noise to the right or left because the car was bigger than the street, but it seemed Satomi-San was deaf or he just did not care). At the street in front of the office of architect Shigeru Ban was a sign "do not enter", but Satomi told Mai to remove the barrier so we could drive in and park in front of the door (preferably diagonally in the middle of the street because we did not have any time to park correctly). Then Mai had to move the sign back, same procedure on the way out. I asked Satomi-San if I could call him Ferrari-San? To judge by his smile he did not dislike it and if I could afford a Ferrari I would have given it to him as a present.
The most surprising thing about architects' offices is how small and messy they are, even in the case of an architect as famous as Shigeru Ban. And how minimal and empty the architecture is. (Shigeru Ban also has a new office on the top floor of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which is quite an amazing project itself, but which I only saw on photographs.) He was working on a fantastic new residential house, "The Boomerang House", of which I saw the model and plans in the office. But unfortunately this house is going to be built on Shelter Island near New York, so it will not be suitable for our book Living in Japan - too bad. So I decided to shoot the "Shutter House", which is rarely seen except in highly specialized architecture magazines, but getting permission to shoot this house in Tokyo, which would be only two months later, is a reading-Room story in itself; but rest assured, it will be reproduced in the book, I promise.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Living in Japan
Hardcover, 26 x 30.2 cm (10.2 x 11.9 in.), 200 pages
$ 29.99
$ 29.99
Nippon nests: Today's most exceptional Japanese homes
Satomi-San and Mai Umeda
First model Boomerang House