If you’re into wild architecture, check out 三鷹天命反転住宅 (the “Reversible Destiny Lofts Mitaka”). I learned about this housing when my brother sent me a link to this old Newsweek story. As that article says: Painted in eye-catching blue, pink, red, yellow and other bright colors, the building resembles the indoor playgrounds that attract toddlers at [...]
Archive for February, 2007
11 Top Underground Transit Systems in the World
In a list of the 11 Top Underground Transit Systems in the World, the Tokyo subway comes in fifth. I was surprised to see that it isn’t the most heavily used: this page says that 2.8 billion riders take the chikatetsu each year, compared with 3.2 billion in Moscow. (I imagine this isn’t so surprising [...]
Yet another Hills book update
Masako book “selling very well” after ban, goes the article covering this development that nobody could possibly have seen coming. The Australian author of a controversial book about Japan’s royal family said yesterday that Tokyo’s attempts to censor his work had backfired spectacularly and made it more popular than Harry Potter. . . . Mr [...]
Prince Pickles and Parsley-chan
Pickles and Parsley Originally uploaded by Durf. The International Herald Tribune wrote a story on the mascot for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. Read it here, or look at coverage of the coverage at Japan Probe and Japundit. My wife found this cellphone strap she received a while back from a friend in the Defense Ministry and [...]
The IHA strikes back
Following up on yesterday’s stuff about the Ben Hills book: The Imperial Household Agency has posted the letter it sent to Hills for all to read. (Punctuation weirdness is sic.) In Chapter seven of this book, you write that, “The Emperor is said to have more than 1000 engagements a year,—–, though all are undemanding [...]
