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Just a tad larger than Vancouver’s city hall

No, really, this municipal building is massive

Shibuya crossing (early in the day so not too much ped traffic)… but definitely feels like a triumph of shoes over engines. Actually the whole city is like that. Less car traffic than Vancouver.

The cooling system is the size of an apartment building

Too hazy outside for a view of Fuji-san but this is a decent consolation prize

Which reminds me… vancouver could use more walk up gin distilleries using perfume bottles to smell the different botanicals (Let’s fix those uptight zoning and license rules)

So much fun riding the electric share bikes through the quiet winding mesh of residential streets, alleys and roads. I could spend all day just meandering across the city. (Also the built in phone holder is critical for navigating if you want to get somewhere specific)

Fire dept tucked under a large apt building. Medium size trucks. Not in a rush to rescue people from the thousands of single stair buildings nearby.

Azabudai Hills and Ginza today. Money and architecture and more cars. Of the two areas I like that the Heatherwick project has some public spaces for just hanging out (and some benches!)

Forest Bathing takes on more significance when you’re in a place without a lot of distributed greenery. I’d love to see a combo of Tokyo small lot density with more courtyards or street trees.

Bike parking garage! Stairs/ramps are a challenge but the grade is shallow and this has a ramp for rolling downhill, and a small motorized conveyor belt for coming back up.

Micro whisky bars in tiny alleys. 🥃🍻

Angled taper on upper floor massing. I’m curious what zoning setback rules are triggering this form. About a 30 degree angle but the starting height varies 4 to 8 storeys.

🤓🚄

The aerodynamic power coupler is like something out of a steampunk retro futurist animation

Leaving the city, heading into the opening scenes of a Miyazaki movie

The Hakone-tozan railway does several turnaround switchbacks (swapping the direction of travel) to navigate the steep grade.

🤓🚞

Train to cable-car / gondola connection at the station

Cheers from the roof of our 3 storey single stair hostel .

Inset tatami

Each of the two cable cars is reeled in/out independently

Fuji (at last)