Listing of Website Sources

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashi-Kaikyo_Bridge
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/akashi_kaikyo.html

Chapel on Mount Rokko

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/mountrokko/index.htm
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~turner/Arch521/MountRokko/Rokko.html

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

http://www.artm.pref.hyogo.jp/eng/home.html
http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/hyogopmoa/index.htm

Nagasaki Peace Memorial:

http://www.japancorner.com/nagasaki.asp
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4400.html
http://39th.org/39th/history/damagephotos/nagasaki-peace-park.htm

Tokyo Tower:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Tower
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3009.html
http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/333/foreign/eng/index.html
http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~jk09/images/Paris/eiffel%20tower%20lucy%20and%20jeremy.jpg
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/JP/TokyoTower.html

Ocean Dome:

www.seagaia.co.jp/english/odr/od.html
www.emmitsburg.net
www.olasperu.com/articulos_display.asp%3Fid%3D25&h=223&w=300&sz=11...
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/4300/
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://largedomes.com/largest/graphics/miyazaki_ocean_dome.jpg&imgrefurl=http://largedomes.com/largest/&h=245&w=262&sz=9&hl=en&start=16&tbnid=9RYQTqYhO4V7_M:&tbnh=105&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Docean%2Bdome%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Mori Tower:

http://www.roppongihills.com/en/introduce/intro_07.htmlhttp://www.mori.co.jp/office/roppongi/en_siteplan.html

Day 7: Nagasaki Peace Park

Hello Again!

Today I am headed to the Nagasaki Peace Park!

When I arrived to the Peace Park there were not many visitors and seemed to have a somber feeling. I was very interested to learn about the peace park and how it was designed. I joined a guided tour in which I found out a lot of interesting information about the Peace Park.

The Nagasaki Peace Park commemorates the city's devastation and destruction by the atomic bomb dropped on August 9, 1945. In the park stands the massive Peace Statue, by Seibo Kitamura -stands in the center of the park- becoming one of the main focal points.

I walk through the park and see all of the beautiful, whimsical statues- all helping to create the haunting mood of the park. Each of the sculptures are equally beautiful and leads the visitor through the peace park. I also saw an amazing fountain which leads down the pathway to the center to the Peace Statue. This is the text that is engraved on the stone installed beneath Peace Praying Statue:

“An Atomic Bomb exploded on right overhead 11:02 9th August 1945, and on 5km side district fall into ruins, dead more than 73,000, wounded more than 76,000.

Memories for horror of burning hell makes our hearts almost burst with grief. We, survived citizens, made a firm resolution that we pray for every soul of victims of the atomic air raid and came out by ourselves to be apostle of world’s eternal peace, so as to never repeat the terrible disaster on the ground.

As a symbol, we intended to build the Peace Praying Statue on the hill. Then we organized Peace Praying Statue Building Society, under the impassioned support of domestic and foreign peoples, started construction in spring 1951 and after four years, completed our heart’s desired statue, and held unveiling ceremony. Today is the day before tenth atomic bomb anniversary. I, with 300 thousands citizens, believe that this Peace Praying Statue will be raised many people’s eyes and greatly contributes for world’s peace. August 1955, Mayor of Nagasaki.”

A monument with a black pillar marks the atomic explosion's epicenter in the nearby Hypocenter Park and stores the name list of bomb victims. Above the park stands the sobering Nagasaki A-Bomb Museum, which unfortunately I didn’t have much time to explore. The Atomic Bomb Museum details the city’s life before, during and after the bombing.

I can’t believe what an amazing experience this was- not only heartbreaking to see the names of the victims on the tower memorial, but also filled with awe inspiring beauty.
I'm almost sad that today was our last day!

We'll see you guys in a day or two!

Megan

Day 6: The Ocean Dome

Hey all!

Just writing this before I crash for the day. I am beat from spending the day at the Ocean Dome. The Ocean Dome is located in Miyazaki, Japan. This place is incredible. Not only was it a gorgeous and captivating place to spend the day, but it’s also an amazing feat of engineering and science. Essentially, the Ocean Dome offers an indoor beach experience with the perfect weather 365 days a year.

The one thing that struck me as weird is the location. Take a look at this photo. The Ocean Dome is actually only 300 meters away from a natural, FREE beach! It’s about $50.00 USD to get into the Ocean Dome for a day, while the free one is about an hour a day. It took my be surprise, until I took the tour with Mr. Takashi San, the PR Chief for the Ocean Dome. He reminded me that Japan gets a lot of snow, rain, and cold weather. He said there is realistically only 4 months a year that warrant going to the actual beach.

The Ocean Dome is the largest indoor Water Park in the world according to the Guiness Book of World Records. It is also the 84th largest clear spanning dome (of any type) in the world. It is truly a masterpiece of retractable steel beams rocketing towards the sky. It measures 300m in length, and 100m in width. The building was designed by the Mitsubishi Company, with a price tag of two billion dollars. It was completed in 1993, inaugurated in July.

Imagine a beach where the sky is always blue, it’s never too hot or cold, the water isn’t filled with salt and pollution, and the surf is always perfect. It has its own flame-spitting volcano, crushed white marble “sand,” and it also boasts the world’s largest retractable roof, providing a permanently blue sky. Temperature, wind and humidity are closely controlled to provide an ultra-safe “seaside” experience. Every hour, the volcano erupts and the hi-tech wave machines start up, starting a few minutes of sanitized surfing. I can honestly say, I never seen anything flow so smoothly, as to provide a natural feeling environment quite like the ocean dome did.

Take a look at http://www.seagaia.co.jp/english/odr/od.html for information on specials and events they’re having if you’re ever around to check it out!

Matt

Day 5: Chapel on Mount Rokko and Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

I heard about this architect, Tadao Ando, does a lot of great buildings in Kobe and one was a small wedding Chapel. Known simply as Chapel on Mount Rokko, completed in 1986, it rest just outside Kobe. You walk through this non-descript hotel, like any other hotel and past a small Koi pond to a tunnel 10 yards long of frosted glass with plain concrete frame. At the end is an exit onto nature with no church in sight until you reach the end. On the right there is a dark vestibule, more concrete… you can’t escape this tying bounds to earth.

Just a hint of light marks the boundary between the corridor and the center of worship. The Chapel opens upward with a high ceiling and west wall predominantly of glass that views a small sculpted lawn. There where no light fixtures, which I found remarkably odd for a church, plenty of light is provided by the large side window. However, this light is solely for the wedding guests, the alter is not left in darkness though, instead it is provided almost magically from a long and unseen vertical slit in the ceiling.

The Chapel on Mount Rokko is quite an interesting sight to see, a wide departure from most of the traditional churches I’ve seen in the states. The mixture of the temptation of nature and inclusion of only natural light play wonderfully. The sun truly rules this church; its passage redefines the space and transforms it from cold concrete to a house of spirituality.

After the Chapel I had decided to make a visit to another of Tadao Ando’s buildings the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (built in 2002), one of my favorite types of buildings after libraries, theaters and amusement parks. The big selling point it how it “fuses art, music and dance through a series of complex spatial experiences”, according to the brochure. The first striking feature is the fact that the museum is made up of 3 parallel concrete rectangles, each with a white granite platform and there own grand stairs and plazas facing the waterfront.

Each entrance hall has a wonderful meditative atmosphere, surprising from the sea of concrete that surrounds you, and is filled with sunshine from glazed terraces. Each building has galleries, auditoriums and studio spaces exhibiting a collection that tops 7,000 pieces, including Ryohei Koiso, Heizo Kanayama and even Henry Moore and Rodin. With the constant shifting of light throughout the day the museum becomes quite a maze, nothing as multifaceted as La Louvre but the map came in extra handy.

The whole complex is designed to draw your eye out to sea and away from the city. Toward the waterfront there are overhanging roofs that create protective outdoor plazas and transparent curtain wall facades, however, if you look to Kobe your meet with only traffic and dark metal.

I found it interesting that Tadao Ando used the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art as a preliminary design testing ground for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth which was completed shortly afterward.

Day 4: Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

I took the Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) that morning and got to Osaka two and a half hours later then it was a small train to Kobe itself. It was quite a wonderful sensation with the foreign landscape blurring by while the distance. The train itself is referred to as a Nozomi, stopping only at the most important stations. To think that this amazing icon of modern land transportation will more then likely never make it to the US is mind blowing.

I saw the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, aka Pearl Bridge, in the distance from my hotel window and knew I had to make that a visit before the day was over. It light up the night sky, like an aurora borealis of shimmering steel. There’s no visitor center for the bridge but I was able to get information from the local guide book. The bridge, designed by the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority, carries 6 lanes of traffic, connecting Awaii Island and Kobe proper over Akashi Strait.

The hotel concierge told me the suspension bridge was completed in 1998 at a length of 12,828 feter and cables that reach a length of 300,000 kilometers. That’s enough to circle the earth 7 times! The two towers that combine the three spans reach up into the sky 928 feet, higher then any other bridge in the world. It withstands winds of 286 kilometers per hour and earthquakes up to 8.5.

I couldn’t believe the cost to cross the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, 2,300 Yen (roughly $20), guess they need to recover the 500 billion Yen cost somehow ($5 billion).

Day 3: The Tokyo Tower

Hey everyone!

Ok…. Today I am going to see the Tokyo Tower! The Tokyo Tower is in the Shiba Park, Minato-ku in Tokyo. I am so excited!

On the tour to the first observation deck I learned that the Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller than its model the Eiffel Tower. I have been to the Eiffel Tower before so experiencing the Tokyo Tower is very incredible. The Tokyo Tower is the tallest self-sustaining steel tower and it was completed in 1958 as a symbol of Japan’s rebirth as an economic power. It was designed by Tachu Naito Architects. On my way up to the observation deck I was surprised at the sights!!! It was so beautiful- the bird’s eye view to Tokyo.

After my trip to the first deck I asked the tour guide if I could go up to the special observation. The trip up to the second “special” observation costs an extra 1500 yen, but the view was well worth it! At this height of 250 meters I can see an amazing view of Tokyo. Today, the weather was so beautiful and clear that I also got a great view of Mount Fuji. This sight of Mount Fuji can only be seen on the most clear and beautiful days- so I was especially lucky.

The tour guide also recommended a trip to combine a visit to Tokyo Tower with a visit to Zojoji Temple one of Tokyo's major temples, which is located just next to the tower.

The experience of the Tokyo Tower was a once-in a lifetime- experience! I was definitely an amazing experience!

Talk to you soon! Megan

Day 2: Fuji Television Center

Our next stop was the Fuji Television Center. This is the headquarters of Fuji TV and is one of the most striking buildings in Japan. The futuristic, metalic building features a huge silver ball, which is about 105 ft in diameter and weighs an estimated 1200 tons. The ball was actually built and lifted over 404 ft off the ground into position where it is an observation deck with views across Tokyo Bay and the Odaiba area. A quick note on Odaiba, it is a spectacular re-development of islands into a futuristic business district. In the late 1990s, Odaiba developed into one of Tokyo's most interesting tourist spots and a highly popular shopping and entertainment district.
The 25 storey building was designed by the Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange. It took nearly 3 years to construct and is fully earthquake proof. Opening in 1997, the center is home to the
fully digital TV studio, where much of its television programming is filmed. Many of their shows are held outside so visitors can watch filming. The TV station also gives you a chance to see their operations on the 5th floor, this is a great chance to see some of the fun and freaky things on Japanese TV. You can also buy Fuji TV goods at the souvenir shop inside.

After that we crossed the Rainbow Bridge on our way to the Tokyo Tower. The bridge is gorgeous, so we spent alot of time enjoying its view at night, and decided to see the Tower the following day.

A remarkable view of the Tokyo skyline and Rainbow Bridge at night. The suspended bridge stretches over 3,000 ft and connects the modern leisure town of Odaiba with the Tokyo Waterfront, crossing Tokyo Bay underneath. It is named after the beautiful rainbow-colored lighting that graces the structure in the evenings, the bridge is one of the cities most popular and attractive landmarks. Opening in 1993, the Rainbow Bridge has two decks, one carries an expressway while the other carries a regular road.

It also provides a fully automated driverless Yurikamome Line Railway and a walking path. The bridge is a popular walk with many great vantage points to see some of the futuristic architecture of Odaiba and Tokyo along the way. It takes about 30 minutes to cross, but don't worry there are several rest stops and plenty of vending machines for refreshments on the path.

The best way to get to Odaiba is by riding the Yurikamome Line Railway. There is also a great boat ride which travels under the Rainbow Bridge for a different prespective of this 177 ft gaint structure.

Shadee

Day 1: Tokyo's Cityscape

Hello Everyone!

We landed in Tokyo, Japan earlier today. This place is absolutely beautiful. It's amazing to me how different everything is here. We all know that the language is different, but it's the little nuances of life that have had me rolling. Coca-Cola, an American staple, is here as well. But Diet Coke isn't Diet Coke, it's "Coca-Cola Light!"

The most amazing building I have ever stepped foot in is easily the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower! It's in the heart of Tokyo, and towers 53 stories in the air. At 781 feet tall, it's one of the tallest skyscrapers in Tokyo. What makes this building so incredible, in addition to the beauty of its steel and glass frame, is the facilities inside of it, and the views from atop it.

Roppongi Hills Mori Tower was chosen as one of the best new skyscrapers of the year 2003 in the Emporis Skyscraper Awards. Its houses 3 floors of malls, with shops, cafes, restaurants, and theatres, are used by thousands of people every day. The inside is brightly painted, and reflects light throughout the entire building. Lights around the centre of the building mimic a graphic equalizer moving to the hythm of music. Because of its round interior shape, you can see the city from all 360 degrees. On the 52nd floor, Tokyo City View, as the observation deck is called, offers fine day and night time viewing of the cityscape. On the 54th floor, Tokyo Sky Deck, an open air viewing area, offers stunning views of the city. On the 50th floor, Roppongi Academy Hills features a school, library, cultural center, and conference center. The building was developed for a local wealthy land owner, Mr. Mori. The building was a combination of architects and engineering firms collaborating together. The primary architectural firms were The Jerde Partnership and Mori Building Architects and Engineers Company.

The building is one of the most amazing spectacles I have seen before. The photos do not do it justice, as I’m sure is the case with most architectural masterpieces. If you are ever in Japan, and have the opportunity to lose a day in a shopping center (and you will lose the entire day), I highly recommend that you see the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, and stay away from these guys!
I’m off to bed now, as we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow! We’re going to the beach…or at least, a synthetic one!

Matt

Trip Itinerary

Hello Everyone! We've set out to discover some of the amazing architecture of Japan. We hope to discover the new age of design and engineering that Japan has embraced. We will be flying into Tokyo and spending a few days discovering the wonders of the downtown skyline from atop one of the largest skyscrapers they have to offer! Next, we'll be checking out the local television station, famed for its futuristic industrial look! Then we'll cross one of the most incredible bridges to see the Tokyo Tower, Japan's version of the Eiffel Tower!

Next, we're going to take the Bullet Train over to Kobe! In Kobe, we plan to see local bridges, a museum, and a chapel. Each of the three structures combines the beauty of modern design with the mystical aura with has shrowded Japan for many years! Finally, we'll take a look at a memorial park for victims of nuclear explosions, and spend a day at a water amusement park!

Here's a brief synopsis of our planned stops:

Head to downtown Tokyo
See the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
Fuji Television Center
Cross the Rainbow Bridge
Tokyo Tower
Take the Bullet Train to Kobe.
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge
Chapel on Mount Rokko
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Spend a day at the Ocean Dome
Nagasaki Peace Park

We hope to make daily updates of our sightseeing adventures, and we'll see you all again soon!