What Were They Thinking?

The most recent addition to the Tokyo subway system is the Fukutoshin-sen. Every subway line in Tokyo is assigned a color. Of course, this line is no exception. With about fifteen lines already in existence, I guess that the people in charge of train line colors at Tokyo Metro were starting to run out of attractive choices. I can just picture it.

They color committee sits around the large round table in the conference room, each person with their ideal color in mind. They start going around the table with their ideas. "How about a nice robust red," a serious-looking man suggests. Almost before he has finished, the woman next to him blurts out, "been there, done that. Marunouchi-sen. What about a forest green?" But here too, someone shouts out that this has already been done. The committee continues to rule out all possibilities until someone suggests . . . brown! Silence falls over the room. By this time everyone is exhausted. Without even taking a peak at the brown color swatch, it is decided. The Fukutoshin-sen will be represented by the color brown.

It had to have happened this way. I can see no other way that such a vile shade could have been chosen. Now lets get one thing straight. I'm not completely opposed to brown. My hair is brown. The door to my room is wooden and, naturally, brown. I love chocolate! But the brown of this train line is not the color of my hair, nor that of my door, and it certainly doesn't look like chocolate.

In small portions this color is not terribly offensive. But large areas painting with it are a completely different story, in my opinion. You be the judge. Try standing in close proximity to a Fukutoshin-sen train. Trust me, you'll understand.

My Afternoon of Architecture

A couple weeks ago on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I went to a kengakukai (a building open house) with my mother. We got on the train at Shibuya Station. It was my first time to ride the Fukutoshin-sen (Fukutoshin Line) and to see Tadao Ando's addition to Shibuya Station. Riding down the escalator from ground level, it didn't look like anything that special. Sure, more glass was used at the top part and everything looked fairly new. But altogether, I didn't think that it was that great. That is, until we descended to the underground portion.

I stepped off the escalator and glanced up briefly. Something caught my eye. What was it? I looked up again. Wow. There, staring me right in the face was a giant egg. Yes, an egg. It looked as though some massive creature had buried its egg in the middle of Tokyo and that all that remained was the shell. Mom explained that the egg transcended the different floors and was part of a design to make the station easier to navigate. I stood stunned in awe of the giant egg.

Out in the Sticks

You really know you're out in the sticks when...

...You see a massive cabbage patch on the side of the road.


...There are no buildings in the vicinity that are above three stories high.


...You are walking along a relatively big street for a fairly lengthy amount of time and see a total of five cars, three bicyclists, and one pedestrian.


...The only major signs of life is right next to the train station.


...The subway station is completely empty, even at rush hour.

No Wonder

Driving back from Minakami, we encountered some construction on the highway. Needless to say, the road was practically packed with workers. However, a majority of them were not working on the construction itself. Rather, they were standing still waving flashing lights. Some stood alone, but most were in groups.

Upon doing a bit of research, I have found that Japan's unemployment rate hovers around five percent. Japan has traditionally had very low unemployment rates. Now I know why!

So Ugly, It's Cute

When I was walking down to Azabu Juban, a couple weeks ago, I encountered this dog.

In my mind, there are two kinds of dogs. One is the type that is so adorable that you resist not to bend down and give it a pat. The other is the sort that is incredibly ugly in way that makes it incredibly cute. You have to admit that this dog is so ugly that it's cute.