Glass, concrete and steel…
Tokyo’s skyline is a diverse jumble of modern architecture, from soaring shards of glass to eccentric 1970s living capsules. It’s urban landscape is filled with fascinating buildings and surprises around every corner.
The city’s boulevards are a stunning catwalk for high-end contemporary fashion and dramatic architecture. The eccentric residential/office buildings – which look like a stack of washing machines – are the icons of the postwar Metabolist movement. The cramped capsules were originally designed for single businessmen, and each unit contains a built-in shower, bed, TV and phone.
With the widespread firebombing of Tokyo in 1945 and the postwar reconstruction, there’s not a lot of traditional architecture left to see in the city. The skyline changes with hyperactive regularity as buildings go up and down like yo-yos – a trait currently amplified in the run up to the 2020 Summer Olympics.