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The ancient ruins at Yoshinogari

One of the down sides to not being able to speak or read Japanese much, is that you can miss out on the full understanding of something, and miss the good stories that people have. Yoshinogari, an archeological dig and historic reconstruction of an ancient site in Saga, on the southern island of Kyushu, is just such an example for me.

Reconstructed fence and sentry box at Yoshinogari.

I had been past Yoshinogari on the train many times. I could see the reconstructed huts, and sentry towers, and see the overall size of the site, and the very nice administation buildings, housing a museum and cafe, amongst other facilities. And whilst it looked interesting, and impressive, it was to me just another historic reconstruction. It wasn't until I had a free, sunny day on my hands, and nothing better to photograph, that I decided to drive the 45 minutes from home and take a close look.

One fine day in Tokyo.

From time to time, friends, both in Australia and here in Saga, rural Japan, have asked me what you can do in Tokyo if you have one day spare for sightseeing.

Old Edo period sweet shop in Asakusa.

It seems that several international airlines, as well as JAL, offer one-day stopovers in Tokyo on their way to Europe. My friends and students sometimes have to go to Tokyo for meetings, seminars or exams, and often have a day, or a large part of a day, free for sightseeing. And Tokyo is so huge, and so different from Australian cities, or other parts of Japan, that it can be daunting trying to figure out a fruitful way to spend a single day. 

Tokyo International Forum.

One of my favorite modern buildings in Tokyo is the Tokyo International Forum. Designed as an an Exhibition Space and a series of conference halls, it is the result of planning for a new exhibition complex first mooted in 1980, a design competition held in 1989, and won by New York architect Rafael Vinoly. The complex was opened in January 1997. I first saw it in 1998, and at that time the huge Lobby Gallery was not quite ready for exhibitions, and some of the facilities were not quite complete.

Outside view of the main 'ship-like' building.

The Ginza, Tokyo. Reborn, again.

The Ginza may be the best known of any of Tokyo's city districts. It is currently going through a rebirth as Tokyo's prime shopping district, after the economic downturn of recent times forced frugality on the big spending Japanese shoppers of the bubble economy.

The main Ginza intersection, opposite the Wako building. Even on a rainy weekday the streets are busy again.

But rebirth is not new to the Ginza, having been through it several times before, for a variety of reasons.

The new face of shopping in Japan.

The post-war economic miracle in Japan, which created disposable income on a grand scale for Japanese consumers, resulted in famous shopping districts such as the Ginza in Tokyo, with its large department stores such as Mitsukoshi, and Daimaru, amongst many others. These places became shrines of opulence, where shoppers could indulge themselves in the very latest from the fashion houses of Chanel, Armani and the like. But more recently, two things have happened in Japan that have had a serious effect on the way Japanese shop.

Canal City, Fukuoka. The artificial canal reflects Fukuoka's waterways. A trademark Jerde Partnership walkway connects the Hyatt Hotel on the right with the shopping centre.

First, there was a downturn in the economy, lasting more than a decade. This made the Japanese consumer a little more wary, more thrifty, and more inclined to seek a little more for their money than just the ownership of name-brand goods. Second, and seemingly always present in the Japanese consumer, was the desire for new pleasures, new ways to be entertained, new places where the hard-earned and very restricted moments of leisure could be better spent. Enter the mid-city shopping and entertainment complex. And now that the economy is back on track, and Japanese consumers have regained the confidence to crack into their considerable savings, and spend money on themselves again, these complexes are proving to be just what the doctor ordered.

New Kyoto Station

The new Kyoto Station building opened in 1997, amid some controversy regarding its suitability for a city like Kyoto, with its abundance of old temples and shrines, tiny historic streets and restaurants, and ancient scenes; the main reasons it attracts so many tourists. Kyoto was not bombed during WW2, so many of its historic treasures are still intact, making it unique in Japan in terms of a major city. It was the capital of Japan in the Heian period, and the opening of the station building coincided with the 1200th anniversary of the commencement of that period.

A view across the concourse of the station, showing the escalators giving access to the roof, and the department store.

Recycling experiment at its most useful

Stylish new sports complex in Saga, Japan, almost completely powered from burnable garbage.

Some years ago, largely due to putting economic development before good housekeeping, Japan probably had a poor reputation when it came to the environment. And it was deserved, what with Minimata, and the condition of air and water around large cities like Tokyo. But in recent times, that reputation has been turned around. Japan played a strong leadership role at the Kyoto conference, it is at the forefront of hybrid car development, and has instigated programs that have reduced its domestic pollution considerably. And it has become a significant player in recycling technology.

At a local level, here in Saga, we have the benefit of a concerted recycling effort. Not only do we have a sophisticated separation and recycling program, but what burnable waste we do have to get rid of has been turned into a very useful energy source. The program is experimental, but so far is working well, and will serve as a model for many other municipalities across Japan, and overseas.

Tokyo modern architecture

Mori Tower, Rappongi Hills

Tokyo is a city is a city of amazing diversity, and nowhere is that more evident than in its modern architecture. If you stay away from one of Tokyo's main business centers for just a couple of years, chances are you will hardly recognize the skyline when you next visit. Tokyo doesn't just have one district of skyscraper and high rise buildings. It has several, each of which is probably the equivalent in size to many of the world's major city skyscraper districts. And Tokyo has incredible diversity in its modern architecture. From small police boxes and capsule hotels, to the Mori Tower at Rappongi Hills, and the huge office towers of the Nishi Shinjiku district. Many Tokyo buildings are very unique in design and shape, as compared to the propensity to build plain rectangular glass bricks in many other world cities. Of course Tokyo has its share of these, but it also has great variety. Tokyo is a good place to view the work of Japanese architectural firms, but the good work on view is not just Japanese. Tokyo offers opportunities to architects from all around the globe, so it is a great place to view a strong representative collection of modern buildings.

Grand buildings of Meiji Japan

Anybody who has visited an ordinary, middle-class Japanese family will surely have noted the size and quality of the average Japanese house. They are, for the most part, small, double-story, pre-fabricated buildings without a lot of character, especially when compared to their western counterparts. And they were originally designed to house extended families, and often still are. Of course there are some large, well built modern houses, or new houses still constructed in the beautiful, classic style of Edo Japan, but these are few and far between. And incredibly expensive, when compared to similar structures in the US, or particularly Australia.

The Steele Memorial Academy, or Tozan Gakuin, in Nagasaki. It was built in 1887.

Of course limited space is a factor in Japan, which has led to a recent boom in reasonable spacious, high quality condominiums springing up in cities all over Japan, but the major reason for the lower quality housing that abounds in urban areas is the post-war boom. Japan was so heavily bombed that city and suburban housing was in very short supply immediately after the war. Japan was in a state of real poverty, with homelessness and starvation common. The need for low quality, low cost, minimum standard housing was desperate.

The construction industry grew rapidly on the back of the necessary building boom, and it also developed huge political clout. By the 1970's, when the post-war economy was in full swing, the construction companies were very powerful. To keep this power, and its accompanying wealth, it was necessary to keep the housing market in a permanent growth phase. So houses were, and still are, pre-fabricated units designed to last 30 or 35 years, when they are knocked down, and a new house built on the land.