Thursday, November 29, 2012

Autumn leaves are at their best



We believe that this year's autumn colors are most vivid that we have seen for years.
Even in Nagoya Castle site which is located right in the center of the city, all the colors of the trees are just stunning. So vivid and colorful enough that they never fail to give us a great admiration to the nature.









It is often pointed out that Japanese autumn leaves are very colorful from green, golden-yellow, orange, brown and red of all brightness.
If you see a picture of Japanese mountains in autumn, it is like a mosaic of different colors.   They say that varieties of deciduous and evergreen trees living together make this colorful foliage possible in Japan.  What a wonderful art work of the nature. 
Now the leaves are at their best colors for some more weeks and soon the grounds will be covered with fallen leaves.



Sunday, November 25, 2012

Newly renovated Tokyo Station



This past October 1, Tokyo Station was open after the five-year renovation work.
The original station building was built in 1914 as an icon for a strong image of Tokyo as the capital of Japan. I read some book that the building took after greatly from Victorian Gothic Style by Tatsuno Kingo, the designer of the original building.
Unfortunately it was destroyed by air raid in WWII. After the war, the building was renovated but someway it was not just as the same as it used to be due to some construction regulations.
But it came back this time with an original design and somehow much powerful construction against earthquake.
Now the new Tokyo Station is not only a place for people to take trains but also a huge site of city with various purposes for people, such as to pass by and enjoy the museum, the undergroud shopping arcades and to stay and dine at Station Hotel.
I took this video from the 7th floor of the facing building across the road. 

Tokyo Station City