It is only natural that I describe the end of the day since it is fresh in my brain. Even though this was the worst weather we have had on this trip, it was really a pleasant day only added to by the fact of its very nice ending. Let me back up a bit. J and I did our own thing for most of the day and kept in touch via cell phone. Around 4:00 when we connect he was just having lunch so at around 8:30 pm when I was starving I knew he wouldn’t not be hungry for dinner so I announced that I was going out for a little snack. He offered to join me if I was interested in grabbing a drink. So we ended up at this very cozy little soba bar sipping Imu Sochu (a distilled liquor made from sweet potatoes – that doesn’t really taste like them but has a nice mild taste if vodka actually tasted good). This little Soba bar had jazz piano playing over the speaker, cozy booths with nice wooden lattice screens and a great waiter who spoke a little English and was very helpful. We started with our Sochu on the rock (rokku) and two platter of delicious sushi – one of them in a light soy vinegar with onions, raw garlic and daikon. We then ordered some asparagus wrapped in bacon and some grilled pork on a skewer. To end the meal we had cold soba with this great dipping sauce. At some point he brought out a warm tea pot and I think he said it was the water used to boil the soba. Totally confused he mixed this water with some soy mixture in a cup and we drank it. Delicious! At the end he brought us tea. Of course a couple glasses of Sochu later I was feeling really good. J and I had some good laughs and it was completely worth the nearly $70 dollars it ended up costing. Much more pleasant than the little bowl of ramen I was envisioning near the station.
So my rainy day in Tokyo. We got a late start. J is fighting a cold and I am fighting not getting it so we slept in until 10:30. Only really getting up because the hotel was doing some water test and hot water was being turned off at 11:00. We had a sensible yogurt breakfast and J headed to Ahkihabara and I hopped on the train to Tokyo. My first stop was Muji. I got off the train at Tokyo station and wandered around the endless underground passageways filled with shops and restaurants in an attempt to avoid the rain. I love the network that runs under Tokyo station and am endless fascinated by the variety of things that run under Tokyo station. At one point I came to a series of cafe’s that people were queuing in front of – must have been really great noodles since there are so many restaurants down there.
I was able to walk a half mile or so before hitting the Tokyo International Forum. The International forum is a convention center designed by Rafael Vinolly. I had wandered around the top of it but never had approached it from underground.
Above is what it looks like from the Tokyo Metro to the International Forum
The stairs up lead to the street – I like the truss form that allows the stairs to float in the space.
After wandering through the subterranean exhibition halls – you pop out into the large glass space that is the signature of the International Forum.
The roof looks like the hull of a ship or the skeleton of a whale.
Struts in tension help support the large glass facade. At the pedestrain level those get blocked off in glass or surrounded by this information booth.
Walkways to the upstairs meeting space dance through the space and are held up with the same articulated elements. It is minimal and detailed at the same time.
After leaving the International Forum I had a lunch at Muji and did some shopping. Unfortunately, because it was pouring out I didn’t take out my camera. I love Muji for its understated sense of style. Cross the Gap, with Crate N Barrell and IKEA and you have Muji.
My ultimate goal was a crafts store at the edge of the Ginza district that I had been too on prior trips. On my way I spied this building a couple blocks away. What interested me was the fact that in such a small footprint they were able to create an architectural expression that created a sense of scale and yet obviated that scale.
I have no idea what the building is for – my guess is some sort of eye clinic because of the markings on the door. It was next to a historic Tokyo school.
Below is a picture of the shop.
They had some really lovely stuff. I almost bought a tea pot but decided it was too heavy to bring back. I bought some gifts and browsed for awhile looking at the prints, textiles and ceramics. The women who took my money spent about fifteen minutes wrapping up each item separately and carefully protecting fragile items. The care was really astounding.
On my way to the train I found another interesting building. I guess this one pre-dates the other by about 20 years but has similar ideas.
My next stop was Ueno station. I like the market stalls around the station and it was near where I was going to meet J. Ueno station itself is a little sad. Its not run down, it just lacks much charm. However, they still manage to create a lively shopping street within the station.
There was this little kiosk of shops that looks like it hatched from a broken egg.
The more I looked at it the more I realized that it didn’t actually fold up into a whole egg. That image is a conceit.
J called me and instead of having tea and little cake at Ueno I met him at Akihabara and sat down for a Matcha Latte and a Chococro. J keeps promising to give me pictures of the Chococro place. I will post those later.
We finally made it back to the confusion that is Shinjuku. This picture does not capture it and I keep promising myself that I am going to wander around the area with a camera to try to find out what about Shinkjuku is so disorienting.
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