Japan 2012 - International Library of Children's Literature Tokyo

Perhaps only in Japan would you find an entire library devoted to children's literature. The International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL) is located on the northern side of Ueno Park. It is house in a 3-storey heritage building which was originally the Imperial Library. The extension was designed by renown Japanese Architect Tadao Ando, and in his addition he has tried to preserve the interior and exterior of the existing building as much as possible.

From the main elevation, all you can see of the extension is a glass box which is tilted at a slight angle to the main building. This is the main entrance to the library. This glass box cuts through the building and ends up as the cafe which faces the garden behind.

The new addition is essentially another glass box that stretches along the back facade of the existing building. The new spaces are fully day-lighted, and serve mainly as the circulation space and foyers. What is great about this is that you can actually see and touch the existing facade up close - and appreciate the beauty of the heritage building.

On the whole it is a great example of architectural conservation. But if you are expecting to see Tadao Ando's signature architectural moves you may be disappointed, as the main idea here was to preserve and enhance the existing building - and for that they have done a great job.

Japan 2012 - Ueno Park in Tokyo

Ueno Park is a large public park toward the West of the Asakusa District and on the northern side of Tokyo City. It is a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in Spring, and the park itself is a great place to escape from Tokyo's concrete jungle, but what attracted me there are the buildings and not the trees.

Ueno Park is dotted with an amazing collection of cultural institutions including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Science Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo cultural Hall), etc. If you are a museum lover, you could spend a whole week here.

As you approach the Park from the JR Ueno Station,you will see an interesting building on the left. When you get closer, it begins to look familiar. This building is the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan - and every architect would recognize its design language. It looks like something by the famous Le Corbusier - but it is not actually by him but one of his disciples in Japan - Kunio Maekawa.The assimilation of Corbusier's architectural language is almost complete. This building houses a concert hall that is still used today and beloved for its great acoustics.

Opposite the Bunka Kaikan is a much smaller building - the National Museum of Western Art. This is a building that was actually designed by Le Corbusier - his only realized project in the Far East, and it houses the famous Rodin sculpture - The Thinker. On first look it doesn't really appear very much like Corbusier's other works, and perhaps most people would have passed by it without realizing it was designed by one of the preeminent 20th Century architects. This is actually one of the few museums built based on Corbusier's concept of a "Museum of Unlimited Growth" - a spiral plan that can be added to as and when the need arises.

Japan 2012 - Tenya Tendon Shop

Tenya Tendon is a chain of Japanese fast food restaurants serving the popular Tendon - Japanese rice bowls topped with tempura. Instead of the Tendon, I went for the Tempura Soba set. This was their summer special and it look really tempting in the pictures.

I find that in Japan, often what you see in the photos is what you get. There is no false advertising here.

The tempura is very nice indeed. With a really light and crispy batter, and good quality prawns and ingredients, it could rival much more expensive restaurants.The dipping sauce is also very good - just adding enough flavour without overpowering the tempura.

At 780 yen for the set, it works out to be around RM 23. Very reasonable even compared to eating in Malaysia. You can find Tenya outlets all over Tokyo. The one I went to was in Asakusa. 

Tokyo 2012 - Kappabashi in Asakusa Tokyo

Another reason for my visit to Asakusa is Kappabashi - considered by some to be the World's largest cookware market. Kappabashi is a short walk from Sensoji Temple which is at the centre of the Asakusa District. It is a shopping street devoted entirely to restaurant supply and cookware, but you will not find any fresh food here. There are more then 150 shops in the area, and it gives you an interesting insight into the Japanese restaurant industry as well as what locals used in their kitchens. 

Some of the shops sell the famous plastic foods that are used  by typical Japanese restaurants all over the World to decorate their shopfronts. They are so real that sometimes you cannot tell the difference between whats real and whats plastic.

If you are a kitchen knife addict, this is your paradise ! You can find reasonably priced blades here, as well as the top-end stuff costing thousands of dollars - including some forged by Samurai sword masters.