Tokyo: City and Architecture

by Livio Sacchi

Tokyo is one of the largest and most complex cities in the world and represents an intriguing proving ground for new ideas on architecture and urbanism. Working in Tokyo means working in the future, and often two sets of rules seem to apply to projects in Tokyo-on the one hand the city's growth is as protean as that of LA or Mexico City, yet this growth is channeled by Japan's rigid adherence to norms and rules and Japanese architecture's embrace of the theoretical and new. This book presents Tokyo as seen through its growth and design from the 19th century onward with a special focus on highlighting the deep roots of contemporary trends in Tokyo architecture.

Genres: Japan, Urban Planning, Architecture

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a nice overview of the history of Tokyo, and Sacchi made a few interesting observations on the city as liquid/atopian/the postmodern city. There were many references to Roland Barthes' comments on Japan, and some about Frank L. Wright's time in Tokyo. Not as much architectural theory as anticipated, but I appreciated the references to Deleuze for the conclusion at the end. I do wish there were more maps in the book, many buildings were referenced and it would've been nice to visually see where they are concentrated.

[Morris Yen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It offers comprehensive introduction of a Tokyo’s architecture, focus on its culture to the architectural styles in the first half and talk about different kinds of architecture (e.g. towers, museums, stores) in the second half. Recommend for anyone interested in knowing more about this area.

[Sweetmongoose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is 10 years old, so things have changed a bit in Tokyo, but I found it quite interesting with awesome pictures and a window into how the culture of Japan is expressed in the architecture of its biggest city. I can't say I understood all of the post-modern architecture-speak, but I found it accessible enough as a layperson. Particularly interesting topics are the impact of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, the empty center, and the liquid room. I also found the historical section informative. The pictures and text often do not match - the photos are a bit of a puzzle at times.

[Yates Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livio Sacchi is a wonderful journalist and with this book captures some of the aspects of Japan and particularly Tokyo that are more striking in their differences of what we imagine of a modern city, then the largest in the world.

He traces the important thematic character of this city to indentify a number of challenges for the future city around the world.

As in any situation the passing of over 15 years have transformed the content of this book into something of an insight in what is behind the scenes.