Ok, let’s set the the scene…
I’m sitting at a tiny desk in my hotel room. The word “desk” might be a stretch, let’s call it a shelf. I’m wearing a white and navy blue yukata (Japanese casual summer kimono), which, by the way, is extremely comfortable. If I stretch my arm out to the right, I can touch the bathroom door. If I stretch my arm out to the left, I can adjust small rectangular window blind. My chair is wedged between the desk “shelf” and a small, single bed. What is left of the floor is taken up by my open suitcase.
Welcome to micro living in Tokyo!
We’ve been told by previous Dulux Study Tour participants that the key to successful Dulux Study Tour is pacing yourself, getting sleep and, most importantly, coffee! Day two started with an injection of liquid gold at a fantastic little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop called About Life Coffee Brewers, the Dulux dog even came along for for a little wake me up!
With our coffees in hand, we embarked on a massive walking tour of Tokyo lead by our knowledgeable guide Yuka and joined by a number of local architects from the Japan Institute of Architects (JIA).
First stop on the tour was Hertzog & de Meuron’s iconic Prada store. Physically and visually separated from the buildings that surround it, the Prada store sits like a “glowing gem” in the dense Aoyama streetscape. I’ve visited this building a number of times in previous trips to Tokyo but never felt like I was welcome inside. I don’t know if it was the well-dressed guard at the front door that put me off or if it was my extreme credit card fear! Today was different. We were welcomed in by the store manager and taken on a private tour of the building on our own before it opened for business. I discovered that it is really worth risking your lack of financial self-control to step inside and experience the spaces from the top floor down. (Sarah looked the part with the Dulux dog nestled in her handbag.)
Across the road we visited the newly opened Miu Miu store also by Herzog & de Meuron. It was interesting to compare this with the older Prada store – the latter transparent and open, and the Miu Miu store shielded by a metallic, angled awning.
Instead of views into the Mui Mui store, which is expected of a retail building, passers-by are offered a view of themselves. A strip of polished steel forms a mirrored surface and runs the length of an otherwise brushed-steel facade.
A short walk down another tiny street we arrived Kengo Kuma’s brand new Sunny Hills store where we sat and ate pineapple cakes and green tea in its forrest-like space. The building was commissioned by a Taiwanese pineapple grower as a way to promote his products.
After Sunny Hills we visited a large public housing project comprising around twenty-five four-storey apartment blocks in the centre of the Omotesando area. Originally built in the 1960s, these structures are earmarked for demolition in the lead up to the 2020 Olympic games. In recent years they have become quite desirable for their low rent and proximity to some of the more afluent areas of Tokyo.
After a minor detour via a temple and graveyard and an in-progess funeral, we arrived at the top of the Omotesando shopping strip. This is the wide tree-lined street where the most prominent fashion brands build their signature buildings. Think Toyo Ito’s Tod’s tree-like structure; Dutch architects MVRDV “Gyre” (meaning “turn” or “rotate”) ; SANAA’s glowing Dior store and Tadao Ando’s Omotesando Hills building with its ramped and stepped ground plane.
After twist and turn down Cat Street in Harajuku we arrived at Yoyogi National Stadium designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and diving events in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
The day finished with an early evening cocktail with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson at the New York Bar on the top floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel and then a completely mind blowing (and maybe more of “lost in translation” experience) at the Robot Resturant in Shinjiku.
I’m not too sure how you top day two… but I suspect we’ll find out tomorrow!
Don’t forget to follow #2015DuluxStudyTour for the live updates!
– John Ellway