Tokyo: Modernist Metropolis

There’s calm to be found amid chaos in the consumer-fuelled, architecturally spectacular Japanese capital, Tokyo.

On a first tour around Tokyo, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of the city’s architecture. Following the devastating 1923 earthquake and the Second World War bombings, Tokyo was substantially rebuilt in a style that relied heavily on modernist influences, and many Western architects were commissioned for significant public and residential projects. And although much of the work by luminaries Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier no longer survives – Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel, Aisaku Hayashi House and Arinobo Fukuhara House have all been destroyed or demolished, though Le Corbusier’s monolithic National Museum of Western Art still has iconic status – their influence is still highly visible, even amid the many cranes that tell of the city’s continual frantic growth.

Not everyone is enamoured of Tokyo’s embrace of Western architecture. Locals debate the effects of progressive development on the city’s aesthetics, with many preferring to protect the old cultural Tokyo that is so marketable to the much-needed foreign tourist. However, the way the locals conduct themselves can be considered culturally worthy in itself, and the rise in architectural development around this progressive city will continue to attract a new breed of tourist: those interested in seeing consumerism at its grandest.

Consumer culture is huge in Tokyo, particularly that based on Western ideals of status. This is where you will find the most impressive displays of architectural splendour. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Hermes, Tod’s, Chanel, even Dean & Deluca, are all represented here and housed in monumental shrines to the respective brands. This new style of architectural glamour has been labelled “luxitecture” – luxury brands housed in purpose-built luxury buildings.

It’s a visual feast to walk down Otomesando Avenue and be bombarded by these masterpieces. Each of the luxury houses appears motivated by the challenge of outdoing the neighbours. Employing the prowess of internationally acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron has paid off for Prada, with its showroom arguably the newest and most visually impressive of the bunch.
Driving through the narrow winding residential streets that run between the larger shopping areas, you see an interesting mix of low-rise apartment blocks and small individual dwellings, many of which are constructed from intricate brick work or modernist tilt slab concrete. The long of residents for a touch of green in this concrete jungle is evident everywhere, with balconies and roof terraces crammed with the ubiquitous bonsai. You can easily imagine that this was the real purpose for these miniature trees: providing the city dweller with their very own manicured version of the country.

Where to Stay:
Hotel Claska
Located in the up-and-coming design district of Meguro, Claska is one of the few genuinely boutique hotels in Tokyo. Designed by the locally acclaimed Intentionallies architecture practice, the hotel offers nine individual suites, each with its own aesthetic. The lobby bar and restaurant is a cool hangout, and the upscale dog parlour DogMan is the best place to watch local pampered pooches get their new dos.
www.claska.com
Park Hyatt
Even if you don’t stay here, you must visit the Park Hyatt, made famous by Sofia Coppola’s film Lost in Translation. As you sip a drink at the New York Bar & Grill, it’s easy to imagine that you’re part of an elaborate movie set. With the hotel lobby located on the 59th floor, you know you’re guaranteed a spectacular view of Tokyo from any of the bars and restaurants located on the floors above. The interiors are modern, luxurious and equipped with the most technologically-advanced extras.
www.tokyo.park.hyatt.com
The Okura
Established in 1962 as Tokyo’s first international luxury hotel, the Okura is a modernist’s dream. The hotel lobby, restaurants and bars all remain in their original modernist splendour, elaborated by traditional Japanese nuances. The only updating that has occurred is of the rooms and the newly added Grand Comfort spa. Sitting in the lobby bar, you feel like you’re smack-bang in the middle of 1960s Tokyo.
 www.okura.com/tokyo

What to See:
Prada Building
Herzog & de Meuron’s grand Prada store in the Aoyama district is a tribute to luxitecture at its grandest. The latest luxury building to be completed in Tokyo definitely gives the neighbours a run for their money. The honeycombed exterior stands tall in an otherwise quiet boutique shopping area.
www.prada.com
Tod’s
Any true architecture fan or avid shopper would greatly enjoy the walk from the quieter streets of the Aoyama (where the Prada building is located) through to the madness that is Omotesando Avenue. Here you’ll find a magnificent collection of luxitecture from Chanel to Dior to Gucci, as well as the Tod’s building by the famous Toyo Ito. If it’s head-turning architecture you’re after, the Tod’s building achieves this and then some. The glass exterior is clad with criss-crossing steel structures, which give the graphic representation of the zelkova trees that line the streets below.
www.tods.com
Louis Vuitton Roppongi Hills
The newly opened Roppongi Hills store is a welcome sight for the jaded. Its exterior is clad with 30,000 glass tubes designed to reflect the famous Louis Vuitton monogram motif, and the store is shaped like a large glass box that’s reminiscent of another of the brand’s icons – the trunk suitcase. Touted as the only true luxury showroom to inhabit this newly constructed neighbourhood, it’s clear that the locals want to rid themselves of the Roppongi district’s once renowned sleazy reputation.
 www.louisvuitton.com

Where to Shop:
L’eclaireur
If you’re looking for the best of the dark and moody fashion designers, head straight to L’eclaireur. Housed in a purpose-built emporium that’s surrounded by an intimate Japanese garden, the shutter-clad building begs you inside with anticipation. Once in, you’ll find the most exquisitely edited selection of Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Dior Homme and Number Nine, to name a few. Catering for both boys and girls, this is a one-stop cool shop.
www.leclaireur.jp
Loveless
This haven of craziness is well worth the descent down the dark and ominous staircase. On the first floor down, you can stop for a much-needed espresso at the counter while you browse through an eclectic mix of books, music and (the ever-present in Tokyo) action figurines. Once caffeinated, head to the lower floor for the best collection of hip local and international fashion for men and women, all dimly lit from above by the grandest of crystal chandeliers.
 www.stylemaven.com

Where to Eat:
Beige
High atop the new Chanel building in the shopping district of Ginza, Karl Lagerfeld’s restaurant Beige (named in honour of Coco’s favourite colour) has one of the best views of Tokyo tower. Due to its similarity to the Eiffel Tower, it could easily have you thinking you were in Paris. Not that one should go to Beige for the views alone, of course. The excellent fare by the Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse and the glamorous interiors are more than enough to distract you from the tower’s bright lights.
 www.beige-tokyo.com