Tag Archives: Architecture

Tokyo’s Nakagin Capsule Tower (with October 2022 Update)

Posted on October 23, 2022 by findingfoodfluency

Kurokawa Kishou’s 中銀カプセルタワー, the Nakagin Capsule Tower, was completed in 1972, close to both the swish Ginza district and the Tsukiji wholesale market (aka the place where you, as a native non-Japanese speaker are most certainly not welcome, particularly at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Japan | Tagged apartment, Architecture, flexibility, Japan, Japanese Metabolism, Tokyo | 6 Comments

The Tianzi (Son of Heaven) Building in Yanjiao, Hebei, China

Posted on August 28, 2016 by findingfoodfluency

China is – or at least, until recently was- the world’s petri dish for what I like to call bizarrchitecture. You have malls with Venetian gondolas (and Somali video games), (empty) towns designed to be spitting images of European villages … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia, Languages | Tagged Architecture, Beijing, building, China, Chinese, 福禄寿, fu lu shou, Hebei province, hotel, sanxing, tianzi, weird, Yanjiao, 天子 | 1 Comment

Throwback Thursday: The Sofitel in Ueno, Tokyo

Posted on October 15, 2015 by findingfoodfluency

The Sofitel Ueno, overlooking Ueno Park’s Shinobazu Pond, was one of my favorite (weird) buildings in Tokyo…until it was demolished in between late 2006 and mid-2008. Heck, the Sofitel wasn’t around that long to begin with, opening only in 1994. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Hotels, Japan, Languages | Tagged Architecture, belief, buildings, design, hotel, Japan, japanese, Shinto, Sofitel, Tokyo, tree, Ueno, weird, Where is Ueno? | 5 Comments

Inflated Views: Queens, New York’s Terrace on the Park

Posted on April 30, 2014 by findingfoodfluency

According to their website, Terrace on the Park in Corona, Queens has been New York City‘s most recognizable event venue for over thirty years. Yeah, nice try, but it’s a fascinating snippet of hubris nonetheless. Though, it might be one … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Aviation, New York City | Tagged Architecture, New York, New York City, Park, Queens, USA | 8 Comments

The 2014 New York State Pavilion, c/o the 1964-1965 World’s Fair

Posted on April 25, 2014 by findingfoodfluency

A thought of the thought of my existence wasn’t even… a thought in 1964, when the architect Philip Johnson completed the New York State Pavilion at the Queens, New York World’s Fair, but I have a thing for weird architecture. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, New York City, pop culture | Tagged Architecture, expo, New York, Queens, USA, world's fair | 2 Comments

Neo-Tokyo Pays a Visit to New York

Posted on April 9, 2014 by findingfoodfluency

Manhattan has always possessed one of the most recognizable skylines in the world. But, when you think about which Manhattan neighborhoods best exemplify the tropospheric spirit, the Sutton Place skyline likely doesn’t place in the top five. Wait a sec-do … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Human Nature, Japan, New York City | Tagged anime, Architecture, movie, New York City, Tokyo | Leave a comment

Tirana’s Piramida (Albania)

Posted on April 4, 2014 by findingfoodfluency

What’s your favorite thing about the word pyramid? Is it that visiting one offers you insight into the world of traffic violations? Or that ordering one for dessert will simultaneously make everyone else at the table hungry no more? Perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Europe, Human Nature | Tagged Albania, Architecture, Communism, Europe, pyramid, Tirana | Leave a comment

Guatemala City’s Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias

Posted on September 10, 2013 by findingfoodfluency

Perhaps I wasn’t pushy enough. Perhaps my wallet was a devoid of its fun-producing partner, you know, money. Perhaps altitude sickness meant that I was mixing up Indonesian with Spanish, thoroughly confusing the staff members with whom I chatted. ¿Puedo … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, North America (non-NYC) | Tagged Architecture, Guatemala, Guatemala City, Maya, unusual | 2 Comments

Guatemala City’s Torre del Reformador

Posted on August 27, 2013 by findingfoodfluency

Does being a so-called urban explorer have its rewards? Firstly, if you’re in a city such as Jakarta, Beijing or Cairo, then soap companies would say so. You might be wandering into potholes and out of portholes, trudging behind exhaust … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, North America (non-NYC) | Tagged Architecture, Eiffel Tower, Guatemala, Guatemala City, monument, tower | 2 Comments

Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia)

Posted on August 3, 2013 by findingfoodfluency

Although originally founded by the Dutch as the Technische Hogeschool in 1920, the Institut Teknologi Bandung (also known as ITB, ee-tay-bay) received its current name in 1959. It is Indonesia’s oldest university in the field of technology, and is also one … Continue reading →