An Old Police Box

Tsukishima

This old police box is located in Tsukishima Island, which is part of Chuo-Ku (ward of Tokyo.)

Most likely this old police box is a historical landmark, and not in actual use. Nobody ever seems to be inside of it. However, on the desk the white sign reads “somebody is watching you!”

Almost

Cherry Blossom Buds

Well, it should be any day now that the Cherry Blossoms should bloom. It looks like the buds might open soon in this photo (that was taken just a few hours ago.)

Water Bus : Part Two

Himiko 1 of 3

Today’s posting is just three more photos of an unusual water bus / taxi called the “Himiko.” To see more about this strange looking boat take a look at this previous posting.


Himiko 2 of 3


Himiko 3 of 3

From Tokyo Tower : Part Two

Tokyo 1 of 4

Here are four more photos that were taken from Tokyo Tower (see yesterday’s posting.)


Tokyo 2 of 2


Tokyo 3 of 4

The building in the center of this photo is actually being torn down. At first sight it looks like it might be new, but the outside is covered with scaffolding (thought it was a wall at first.)

Looking at this photo makes you wonder how they got that backhoe and other stuff up there.



Tokyo 4 of 4

Here is the web page for Tokyo Tower, which has some great photos of its own.

From Tokyo Tower : Part One

From Tokyo Tower 1 of 4

Here are some photos that were taken from Tokyo Tower. The view from the tower is an excellent way to see just how crowded Tokyo really is.

Tokyo Tower is located in the Minato-Ku section of Tokyo. Here is the Wikipedia page for Minato-Ku. You can see the location of Tokyo Tower at the bottom of this map on Yahoo Travel’s web page.



From Tokyo Tower 2 of 2


From Tokyo Tower 3 of 4


From Tokyo Tower 4 of 4

Tomorrow’s posting will be four more photos taken from Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Architecture : Part Three

NOA Building

This unusually designed building is located in the Minato-Ku area of Tokyo. It is just a short distance from Tokyo Tower (obviously!)


Red Brick Base

The base of this building is made of red brick. Even though brick was used in the past for the construction of buildings in Tokyo, now it is rarely seen.

This building can be seen in the first photo posting on this blog, which was taken from the top of Tokyo Tower.

Old Crusty

The Sauce Pot

This is an offbeat photo of an old crusty Yakitori sauce jar, for today’s posting.

Yakitori is type of shish kabob made of various types of meat that is grilled on a small wooden/bamboo skewer. After it is cooked it is dipped in a special sauce. This sauce is usually made from soy sauce, sugar, honey, Sake, and Mirin (a type of sweet Sake.)

The guy in the photo said that he has been using the jar for twenty years. It’s kind of gross, isn’t it?

Dry Dock

Public Space

This dry dock is what was leftover after the construction of the Minato Mirai 21 area (see yesterday’s posting.)

At the top of this photo the base of Landmark Tower can be seen.



Dry Dock

At the bottom right hand side of this dry dock, there are doors that enter into the underground portion of a shopping mall. This mall runs under Landmark tower and several adjacent buildings. The doors were not unlocked when this photo was taken, but they might be during the summer months.


The Mall Below

This photo was taken inside the portion of the shopping mall that runs directly under Landmark Tower. The name of this mall is Queen’s Square.

The Minato Mirai 21 (Harbor of the Future) area is a good example of beautiful urban development. Other big cities should probably take a lesson from the way Yokohama City is developing. It may not be perfect, but it seems that they are at least making an effort.

Landmark Tower : Part Two

Looking Up

Here are some more photos of Landmark Tower in Yokohama (see yesterday’s posting.)

This photo was taken from inside a dry dock that was left at the base of this tower when it was constructed (will post photos tomorrow!)



Harbor of the Future

More of the Minato Mirai 21 (Harbor of the Future) area can be seen in this photo. This area used to be a shipyard before it was redeveloped.


Closer View

Here is just a closer shot of this beautifully designed skyscraper.

Landmark Tower

Landmark Tower

Landmark Tower is located in the Minato Mirai 21 (near the waterfront) area of Yokohama. At 70 floors, landmark Tower is currently the tallest building in Japan. Seventy floors might not seem like much, but for an earthquake prone country such as Japan, it is considered tall.

This beautiful building was designed by three different architectural firms, Taisei Construction Company, The Stubbins Associates (main firm?), and Mitsubishi Real Estate. It was completed in 1993 and stands at 296 meters tall.

Floors 49 to 70 of the Landmark Tower are occupied by the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel. Other floors include office space, and at the bottom of the tower there is a shopping mall.

More photos of this beautiful skyscraper and surrounding buildings will be posted tomorrow!

Red Brick Warehouses

Building Two

The photo above shows Building Number Two of the historical Yokohama “Red Brick Warehouses.” These two warehouses were completed sometime around 1913. They are located on the Yokohama waterfront (see yesterday’s posting.)


Building One

In this photo Building Number One can be seen on the right hand side. It is actually smaller than Building Number Two.

What makes these two warehouses special is that they have been beautifully remodeled. Building One is now a multipurpose hall. It is used for art exhibits and concerts, among other things. Building Two has been converted into a commercial building. It currently houses many shops and restaurants.


Building Two

Another view of Building Number Two. The shops may not be that interesting in this building, but it is worth a look inside to see how well the conversion / renovation of this beautiful building was done.