MODERN JAPAN SCURK BUILDINGS

Here are some examples from my slowly evolving Japan tileset.  Should I
ever get to complete it, this set will contain many of Japan's most famous
and not-so-famous modern landmarks.


Included in this GIF collection:

Title:        Size:     Description:

akasakap.gif  3605      Akasaka Prince Hotel, Tokyo.  Designed by Kenzo Tange 
                        and completed in 1982, this sparkling tower is one of 
                        Tokyo's many outstanding hotels.  Situated near the 
                        grounds of the Akasaka Detached Palace, the hotel's 
                        top floor cocktail lounge offers panoramic views of 
                        the city.  The sweeping wings of the crystalline tower 
                        are best seen contrasted with the surrounding blossoming 
                        cherry trees.

century.gif   2679      Century Tower, Tokyo.  Design by architect Sir Norman
                        Foster, this building actually features two towers
                        connected by a central atrium.  Bridge like structural
                        trusses are expressed on the facade.

greentow.gif  2376      Green Tower Building.  The Green Tower Building 
                        is located directly across from Tokyo's Shinjuku 
                        Central Park.  An example of slick, modern box 
                        architecture, the building is kept from total 
                        anonymity by its curving penthouse.

k1iikura.gif  3205      K-1 Iikura Project, Tokyo.  Designed by Sir Richard Rogers 
                        for Tokyo's Minato ward, this fascinating office building was 
                        to feature an external steel seismic frame.  Not surprisingly, 
                        Nippon Steel wanted to use this building to promote their fire 
                        rated steelwork.  Unfortunately, Japan's economy soured before 
                        it could be constructed.

kabukiza.gif  2726	The famous Kabukiza (Kabuki Theater), Tokyo.  I'm not
			certain of the true arrangement of the roof (I have
			never seen its rooftop), so I have tentatively placed
			a metal skylight.

kasumiga.gif  3564      Kasumigaseki Building, Tokyo.  This building was Japan's
                        first modern high-rise.  It is located in Tokyo's 
                        Kasumigaseki district, an important focal point of
                        Japanese business and government.  The white columns on the
                        facades are distinctive.

kobecen.gif   4424      Shin-Kobe Oriental City - C3, Kobe.  Also known as the 
                        Kobe Central Building, this distinctive tower is located 
                        adjacent to Shin-Kobe Station on a sloping site at the foot 
                        of Kobe's Rokko-sanchi mountain range.  It commands an 
                        impressive view of Kobe and is striking when seen with the 
                        mountains Maya-zan and Futatabi-zan as a backdrop.  Built in 
                        1988, this 37-story building houses a hotel, a shopping 
                        center, and an auditorium.  Though the actual site slopes 
                        considerably, this graphic shows it on a flat surface in order 
                        to preserve clarity.  Thus, the parking structure is not 
                        portrayed entirely accurately.

landyoko.gif  6561      Landmark Tower, Yokohama.  Japan's tallest skyscraper was 
                        completed in 1993 and is the centerpiece of Yokohama's huge 
                        Minato Mirai 21 development program.  With this vast project 
                        Yokohama hopes to construct a second downtown district on land 
                        reclaimed from the city's harbor.  Designed by Hugh Stubbins 
                        as a futuristic symbol for cities of the 21st century, the 296 
                        meter tall tower houses a shopping mall, commercial offices, 
                        and a hotel block.  The building, situated on the harborfront, 
                        is stunning when seen with Fuji-yama (Mount Fuji) in the 
                        background.

mitsui.gif    3010	Mitsui Headquarters Building in Tokyo's high-rise
			Shinjuku district.  The Mitsui Group is one of Japan's
			largest and most powerful corporate entities.

moff5.gif     2560	A generic office building that has been "Japanized."  Use in SCURK 
                        as "Medium Office 5."

nec.gif       5076      NEC Supertower, Tokyo.  Headquarters for NEC, one of Japan's 
                        largest electronics corporations, the NEC Supertower is a marvel 
                        of high-tech architecture.  Designed by Nikken Sekkei, Ltd., its 
                        many innovations include a large opening midway up the building 
                        which reduces wind annoyance and allows for cross ventilation.  
                        The opening also provides natural light and air for the tower's 
                        internal atrium, thus aiding in energy conservation.  As befitting 
                        a major electronics enterprise, the high-tech executive boardrooms 
                        feature 21st-century style computer consoles for each director.  
                        Because of its strong profile, the tower is sometimes referred to 
                        as "The Rocket."

office1.gif   2766	Another generic Japanized office building.

shibuyat.gif  2489      Shibuya Higashi T Building, Tokyo, Japan.  Designed by 
                        architect Kisho Kurokawa in 1987, this eight-story retail 
                        and office building stands not far from Shibuya Station.  
                        Its most prominent feature is a dynamic angled split down 
                        the main facade.  The rooftop curved monument lights up the 
                        skyline at night.

shinpark.gif  6293      Shinjuku Park Tower, Tokyo.  Completed in 1994 by 
                        Kenzo Tange Associates, this building is a premier example 
                        of ultra-modern corporate architecture.  Located in Tokyo's 
                        Shinjuku ward, it extends the powerful skyline formed by the 
                        nearby towers of Kenzo Tange's New Tokyo Metropolitan City Hall.  
                        The 52 story tower itself houses offices, showrooms, and hotel 
                        accommodations.  This graphic slightly alters the base plaza and 
                        does not show the District Cooling Center Building, which is also 
                        connected to the main atrium.  The base plaza is also much longer 
                        than the 4x4 tile base would allow.  Two white museum tiles each 
                        located at opposite ends of the tower's long axis best 
                        approximates the building's true appearance.

shirokiy.gif  2712      Shirokiya Department Store, Tokyo.  Built in 1911 during the Late
                        Meiji Era.  Located in Tokyo's Nihombashi district, the Shirokiya 
                        helped to bring innovative shopping techniques to Japan.  However, 
                        it was unable to match the advertising prowess of its rival, the 
                        now famous Mitsukoshi.  Unfortunately, this whimsically delightful 
                        building, and many others like it, no longer exist.  The colors in
                        this graphic are assumed based on existing black-and-white period
                        photographs.

sony.gif      2630	Sony Tower, Osaka.  Designed by famed Japanese architect 
			Kisho Kurokawa, this building is an example of the high-tech, 
			modern architecure popular in Japan.  Built in 1975, it is 
			located in the Shinsaibashi district, Osaka's busiest 
			commercial and entertainment center, and houses retail show 
			rooms of Sony's electronics products.  An interesting feature 
			is that the building's bathrooms are designed as stainless-steel 
			"capsules" which cling onto the exterior of the building.  The 
			neighboring building at the rear was included in order to fill 
			up the tile (there really should be more space between the two 
			buildings).

studioal.gif  2445      Studio Alta, Tokyo.  This fascinating cubical building in Tokyo's 
                        Shinjuku ward is a showplace for Seiko electronics products.  
                        Noteworthy is the huge Jumbo-Tron screen above its main entrance.  
                        Crowding either side of the building are smaller shops.

tokyo-h1.gif  6483      New Tokyo Metropolitan Town Hall (Tower 1), Tokyo.  Designed by 
                        Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, this is Tokyo's tallest building.
                        Located in Tokyo's high-rise Shinjuku district, the twin towers are
                        highly distincive.  The marble-clad facade is reminiscent of 
			electronic circuitry, thus expressing the high-tech, 
			information-oriented nature of modern Tokyo.

tokyot.gif    5458      Tokyo Tower (Jpn Tokyo Tawa), Tokyo.  Built in 1958 in 
			Tokyo's Minato Ward, this is the tallest structure in Japan.
			At 1,093 ft (333 meters), it has two observation platforms.  
			It broadcasts throughout Japan's Kanto district and has a major
			recording and broadcasting studio at its base.  This graphic
			comes from Maxis's SimCity 2000 Special CD Collection.

tokyu109.gif  2111      Tokyu 109, Tokyo.  This building is a landmark of Tokyo's 
                        Shibuya district, one of the city's busiest downtown areas.  
                        Designed by Minoru Takeyama and completed in 1978, this 
                        multi-commercial building houses boutiques, small stores, restaurants, 
                        coffee stores, and a small theatre.  

yasuda.gif    3049      Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Building, Tokyo, Japan.  Completed in 
                        1976 by the Taisei Corporation, this 193 meter building is one of the 
                        many high-rise landmarks of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.  The Yasuda 
                        Fire & Marine Insurance Company, established in 1888, was Japan's first 
                        fire insurance company and still remains today one of the world's largest 
                        property and casualty insurers.

yebisu.gif    3760      Yebisu Garden Place Tower, Tokyo, Japan.  Comprised of several commercial 
                        towers, housing blocks, and shopping centers, Yebisu Garden Place is a new 
                        development built over a demolished factory.  Designed by Kume Sekkei, the 
                        main 40 story tower is a distinctive landmark in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.

yoshimot.gif  3116	Yoshimoto Building (Osaka Hilton -- The Hilton Plaza), 
			Osaka.  This building was built in 1986 by Takenaka 
			Komuten Co., Ltd., and is located in Osaka's Kita ward 
			directly in front of Osaka Station.  It is comprised of 
			a 553 guest room hotel, a retail block, and a 300 car 
			parking lot.  Its most distinctive form is the curved 
			glass atrium situated between the hotel tower and the 
			shopping section.  This is another example of the sleek, 
			high-tech, modern architecture often found in Japan.  In 
			this graphic, the curvature of the atrium was increased so 
			that the building would fit on a 3x3 tile base.  On the 
			actual building, the arc is not as great and the shopping 
			section extends outward from the building at a more obtuse 
			angle.


Enjoy!


Lee Sojot                                                                   6/11/98
___________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail:      leesojot@hotmail.com
Webpage:     http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Maze/9975/index.html


Sayonara!



