Ah, architecture in Tokyo! Books are filled with it! And every time, folks come from overseas, they keep nagging us for the hottest tips around. So, for all you archiphiles, we gathered some outstanding highlights you can find within a mere fifteen minute walk (and plenty of cafés to rest) - all along Omotesando Dori (Street) or sometimes recently known as Tokyo’s “Architecture Street”. There is hardly a world famous architect who hasn’t built something here. In the first of our two part series, PingMag exits JR Harajuku Station and ascends Omotesando with you, taking you on a pretty impressive tour. Promise! (For a start, trace it on our Google map below.)
Written by Chiemi
Translated by Natsumi
1. GYRE
Let’s proceed down the Omotesando Street toward Meiji Street with the familiar Laforet Harajuku fashion plaza to the left. Cross Meiji road towards GAP and cross again to the right side of Omoto Sando and then continue up the road. The building standing strong and difiant to the right, as you pass tourists holding toys from their purchase at the famous Kiddy Land or locals slurping coffee at the café cum lounge Montoak, is GYRE, a luxurious shopping complex that just opened last November. It was designed by the architect collective MVRDV from Rotterdam, a city known as a major international architectural centre. The designers of Amsterdam’s “WOZOCO” collective housing of one hundred apartments for the elderly and “Silodam” have come up with a beautiful work here in Tokyo too. The theme of this architecture, with its gyrating floors, is “GYRE,” and visitors can experience its circular motion by walking up the stairs connecting the terraces outside.
2. Dior Omotesando
Next door, the Dior Omotesando building looks as if it is covered in floating semi-transparent curtains. Completed in 2003, it was designed by acclaimed SANAA, an architect duo consisting of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. The curtain-like decorations resembling ladies’ dresses are actually acrylic materials with drapes and the shimmering light from the inside changes the building’s atmosphere from elegant to mysterious in the evening. Dramatic! If you want to know more about them, SANAA has also been responsible for the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa and the Zollverein School in Essen, Germany.
3. Japanese Nursing Association
Just three doors away from the Dior store stands the Japanese Nursing Association Building with its giant glass entrance set back away from the pavement. This architecture was designed by Kisho Kurokawa (who passed away last October,) under the theme of “receptivity with the area of Omotesando” while maintaining the function and the dignity of the Japanese Nursing Association. The conical monument, known as the “Crystal Cone,” transends to the 8th floor of the building, was also designed by Kurokawa. The same shape can also be found at the main entrance of the National Art Center Tokyo that opened last year.
The exteriors from the opposite side of the road…
… and inside the circular conic.
The famous Nakagin Capsule Tower was one of the world’s first example of capsule module architecture. Photo by Wikipedia
4. Omotesando Hills
You can’t miss it but across the road, on the opposite side stands Omotesando Hills. Previously, this location was occupied by the historic Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments. The controversy over the local residents’ resistance to the replacement of the apartments is still fresh in our memories. However, we doubt that many people are aware of the fact that the demolished Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments have been rebuilt on the right hand side of this shopping complex. Omotesando Hills was designed by Tadao Ando and became open to the public in February 2006. Note that its construction follows the same three degrees upward slope as the boulevard outside. Also, it reused some of the materials from the demolished Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments in various parts of its structure, and a rooftop garden is set out to blend in to the Zelkova boulevard outside. Watch its LED-lit surface at night!
5. Louis Vuitton Omotesando
Now, cross the road again! Standing on the same block as mentioned above Japanese Nursing Association building, Louis Vuitton Omotesando was completed in 2002. Architect Jun Aoki has also been responsible for the designs of Louis Vuitton’s other branches including its Nagoya building and stores in Matsuya Ginza, Roppongi Hills and New York. This concrete creation resembles a stack of trunks from the outside, thus portraying the Vuitton symbol. The surfaces are designed to resemble the leaves and branches of the zelkova trees therefore blending in to the surroundings; just like the mimicking slopes of Omotesando Hills. It’s easy to get your eyes fastened to the glittering window displays, but let’s savour this beautiful architecture from the outside while the trees are still bare.
The entrance of Louis Vuitton Omotesando…
… with the exteriors reflecting the boulevard trees.
Was that it already?! Of course not! We hope you enjoyed the first part our architectural guide tour today. You can see the pictures of buildings in Omotesando on our Flickr again! Watch out for the followup!
18 Comments
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As of December 31, 2008, PingMag and sister site PingMag MAKE are both on extended hiatus, and will not be updated for the foreseeable future. We are eternally grateful for your fantastic support over the years.
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Thank you for the article!! Can’t wait to see it all in person in a couple of weeks!
Posted by: Jenny on March 12th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Excellent write up. I think Toyo Ito’s Tod’s is another fantastic piece in the area.
Posted by: Craig on March 13th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Great stuff!!
And look - Irish flags for St. Paddy’s day! Yay!
Posted by: Mike on March 13th, 2008 at 11:39 am
sorry, altho i know this is only p1, but to not include the prada building, united nations university building, the kickass klein dytham project behind omotesando hills, and a half-dozen other projects in the vicinity is a letdown. this project list, to me, is laziness visualized.
Posted by: cudmuncher on March 13th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
what about Kuma Kengo? and Ito Toyo?
It would be nice as a next step to write about Aoyama/Omotesando open air architectural museum
Posted by: giacomo on March 14th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
[...] Omotesando Open Air Architectural Museum Co-branding is the usual strategy of fashion brands when it comes to architecture. The two areas where this phenomenon is most visible are Ginza and Omotesando/Aoyama. They are an open air contemporary architecture museum. Here a view on Omotesando, By Ping Mag [...]
Posted by: Omotesando Open Air Architectural Museum « giacomo butte in tokyo on March 14th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Now I wish I really was going back over spring break - Damn!
Posted by: Jacks on March 18th, 2008 at 1:18 am
wow … the zollverein school is really amazing.
Posted by: james | studiosushi on March 19th, 2008 at 5:24 am
[...] calle, en su mayoría tiendas de marcas internacionales relacionadas con la moda…. Más > PingMag (parte I) / PingMag (parte [...]
Posted by: Move your mind » Tokio: Omotesando la “Calle de la Arquitectura” on March 20th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
[...] (via: PingMag) [...]
Posted by: Omotesandō Street | Tokyo « stash pocket on March 26th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Frankly, the Dojunkai reconstructions are a pathetic attempt to placate a rightfully outraged public. Though Ando is one of my favorites, in no way does Omotesando Hills come anywhere close to the flavor of the original buildings. This was a disaster for Tokyo preservationists.
Posted by: Jeremy on April 5th, 2008 at 4:36 am
Im form Mexico I would like be there, and watch cosely the buildings, this street is really interesting.
See The architecture mixed whit the fashion is fabulous.
The value centres not only on the quality of the products that there offer but also on having invited famous architects and designers of interiors to complement the luxury, when us seen these buildings one thinks about spaces that they exceed style. like Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano, Herzog y Pierre de Meuron and stores like, Prada, Tod´s, and Louis Vuitton, are good exemples about that..
Andy Warhol said: ” The today shops will be the museums of the tomorrow and the today museums will be the shops of l tomorrow”.
i said the tomorrow arrives
p.d. I sorry my english is not good.
Posted by: Twone on May 27th, 2008 at 12:43 am
[...] In my opinion Tokyo is a richly layered city and new modern structures often sit beside ancient temples and shrines. Architects in Tokyo are known for their cutting edge designs and there is a never ending flow of construction going on in Tokyo. Some of the cities most interesting structures are featured in PingMag’s Architecture in Tokyo: Omotesando Street, Pt I. [...]
Posted by: William Gibson’s Futuristic Tokyo on June 16th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
[...] de James qui représentent des bâtiments conçus par SANAA sur Omotesando, cet article en deux parties sur le site PingMag offre un parcours architectural de ce boulevard à Toyko augmenté des [...]
Posted by: Perspectives de vie à Londres et à Tokyo imaginées par Stephen Taylor et Ryue Nishizawa » Pour poursuivre sur Omotesando on August 1st, 2008 at 7:41 am
More than the modern structures in Japan what strikes me more are the beautiful gardens and the exceptional architecture of their temples and shrines.
Posted by: Minthis Hills on January 10th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
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Posted by: Dubai Palm on January 10th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
It’s more than just beautiful atchitecture it’s more a reflection of the beautiful Japanese spirt that captures the worlds amazement.
Posted by: how to market online on September 20th, 2009 at 3:57 am
I have never been to Japan, but the architecture in these photos is definately worth flying over to see. I look forward to visiting this magical place.
Posted by: how to market yourself on September 20th, 2009 at 4:00 am