Tokyo Landscape VIII

Its entrance examination time at the Tôdai and everybody is nervous and offices close at odd hours and library opening hours are arbitrary, so I took refuge in the Maison Franco-Japonais in Ebisu, just one station from Shibuya. It has a very calm and spacious library with a high ceiling and a huge panorama window on Roppongi Hills (you can see it in the back on the pics).

Tokyo Landscape VII

Altre Shinagawa, the new development around Shinagawa station at sunset. Was on my way back from the notorious Immigration office where my visa was extended till March. And it only took three hours!

Tokyo Landscape V

This is the view from the top floor of the Tokyo University Library in Komaba where I sometimes ponder the more irritating problems of rubbish fieldword. You can see the Park Hyatt's triple towers followed on the far left by the Tokyo Opera City in Hatsudai.

Tokyo Landscape III

Early winter sunset over the Park Hyatt, Shinjuku's recent new landmark building. The hype created by Sophie Coppola's film 'Lost in Translation' disguises that fact that it is done in a rather bland corporate style. Rumor has it that there is a huge pool under one of the glas pyramids...

Tokyo Landscape II

This is the NOA building in Azabudai, shot through a cab window. With its red brick base and lip stick shape it is a peculiar appearance in the jumbled faceless cityscape of Tokyo. It was designed by Shirai Seiichi in1974 and has in my opinion grown old rather more gracefully than many a postmodern concoction.

Tokyo Landscape I

This is one of the buildings next to Shinjuku station no one ever notices. But on second glance it is actually quite interesting in a 60's sort of way. Could be a villain's headquarter in an early James Bond film.