japanlog2

Yesterday was a rainy day here in Tokyo. Which actually kind of heightened the senses a bit. We went to a couple of our usual Aoyama spots, such as Jangara Ramen and Anniversaire Cafe, where we saw they ubiquitous young television star with well to do suit-friends of his.

But what was more interesting about yesterday's excursions were the two houses we got to see - the Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa and the Small House by Kazuyo Sejima.

Jangara Ramen

This place looks like any old hole in the wall, but its known for the best Hakata Ramen in Tokyo and I make a point to go here every time we are in town. Hakata Ramen is ramen with white broth and a lot of fatty pork. Its a fast, loud, and incredibly delicious place for lunch and if you are lucky you can get a seat by this window, looking out onto the busiest street in Aoyama, where all the hilarious Harajuku girls walk down the street strutting their stuff.

Moriyama House - Ryue Nishizawa

Tucked away in a very dense part of old-downtown Tokyo, very near to Mrs. Architecturefootballandfood's Uncle's saw mill factory, this house, or more accurately, collection of small houses, sits quietly. This is every architect's dream, to design a complex of tiny, single-room structures like this. Actually we have very similar plans for a country house, if we ever get the opportunity. But the urbanity of this project is what makes it fantastic. Within this incredibly dense and urban city fabric, Nishizawa has created a hyper-dense and urban HOUSE, one which treats the lot like a small version of the city itself. Of course there are always questions like `well what if i have to go pee at 2am - you mean i have to go outside?` YES. You do. That is part of the experiment and the downfalls of living in a house like this in conjunction with the incredibly interesting relationships it creates with the users and the community are BOTH essential to its beauty.

Small House - Kazuo Sejima

This house has always been a favorite of mine, for its obvious simplicity and its attractive formal gestures.

It was quite tough to find - again tucked away in a different part of the city, but we finally did and it was worth the long, rainy walk. This was one of those times when it looked a lot different from the perfect, glossy photos they published just after it was built. The details of placement on site and building access became much more interesting and powerful than the actual form of the building.