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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 .

Nice day for a bit of Picasso and co at the Hakone open air museum. Walking distance from town so no car needed.

Inset tatami

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

Fuji (at last)

It is a compelling mountain.

Volcanic vents and the infusion/pump stations that send water down to the Onsen bath resorts below

The Black Eggs are cooked in the springs (and bring long life apparently)

Bullet Train Regional Train Mountain Switchback Train Cable Funicular Train Gondola Now… Pirate Ship (of course)

Hakone-jinja is known for the waterfront torii-of-peace, but it’s mostly a torii-of-instagram. I liked the big cedars (that rivaled vancouver island)

Bullet Train Regional Train Mountain Switchback Train Cable Funicular Train Gondola Pirate Ship Now the Bus 7 car free modes this trip

What I really like is the Suica app that lets you tap your phone as a transit pass (for buses and subways) vs carrying a transit card. It works across multiple cities and can be refilled on the fly.