P R A D A by Herzog & De Meuron

Sophisticated, expensive and very beautiful is the Prada store in Tokyo. Although, the internal photography was strongly forbidden, I have decided to break the rules and act as an illegal architectural adventurer. It is definitely one of the most sparkling buildings in the Japanese capital. 

Kenzo Tange's St Mary Cathedral, Tokyo

"The plan of the building is in the form of a cross, from which the walls, eight hyperbolic parabolas, rise up at an angle. These open upwards to form a cross of light which continues vertically the length of the four facades. To this rhomboid volume other secondary constructions are added, their rectangular volumes contrasting with the symbolic character of the cathedral with which they communicate by way of pathways and platforms. The baptistry and the baptismal font are among these secondary buildings. The bell tower is 60 m in height and stands at a little distance from the cathedral proper, whose interior is finished in exposed concrete. The exterior surfaces are clad in stainless steel, which gives them a special radiance in keeping with the religious character of the building."

— Udo Kultermann. Kenzo Tange: Works and Projects. p175

Yokohama International Boat Terminal - Foreign Office Architects

Japan's yet.

Nearly a month spent in Japan, I got to experience variety of cultural, architectural, intellectual and spiritual differences. The oxygen, the culinary temptations, the presence of the beautifully welcoming nation and the journey through the rural and the urban scapes would be described in the following posts. 

Konichiwa, Nippon!