Urban Residential over Retail - Tokyo, Japan

Walking through Tokyo with two fellow architecture buffs from NYC and LA, the three of us were all intrigued by the eclectic architecture. Comparisons to the Midwest, West Coast, or even the East Coast and New York are futile. It was a pure delight to tour. Residential above commercial is more likely the case than not, so for a mixed-use geek like myself, there were too many examples to count. The most intriguing part of Tokyo development however was the sheer compactness and density of the sites. The width, the depth, the height; and then a comparison to the width vs. height of many of the developments were truly unique. It’s not unheard of to have a 10 to 15-story building that is 20’ wide; or perhaps a 4-story 12’ wide town-home. What they squeeze on an individual site is pretty incredible. Much of this density is through the use of exterior stairwells, vertical transportation, and tighter places. Tokyo seems to take a comprehensive and overall vertical approach I have not seen in any other cities I have ever seen. Residents and customers just live in smaller places, and accept these living conditions.

In fact, we were able to visit multiple homes, and some of the most extraordinary lifestyles are found on the inside of these homes: hidden rooftops, inner gardens and vestibules, and ornate decorations. If you would look at the outside of many homes you would think them to be lacking quality and in somewhat disrepair. It seems as if they cared more about getting to know us than show us their things, a nice change of pace compared to our American culture of housing and presentation. This probably goes along with what seems to be a more humble, relationship based, Japanese attitude. Although I am sure much of this tightly defined density has to do with the historic nature of the city, and the politics of ownership that have taken place over time. However, I am curious if some of this is because of the lack of pride of the Japanese, and their lack of need for the large houses, big cars, and large lawn sprayed with the TruGreen guy.