Saw these very odd buildings in Gion, just north of Matsubara-dori. Mostly bars and hostess clubs. Just strange industrial/steampunk design from the 90s that seemed very unique and really stood out next to what was a block away.
Any one have any ideas?
by Orzhov_Syndicalist
10 comments
I’m not sure what your question is. Do you want to understand the thinking of the building owner or architect? You’d have to ask them. It’s not like there’s a city wide master plan that all buildings have to follow. Land owners are pretty much allowed to put up whatever they want in Japan. Laws that try to set a general thematic tone for a city are common in parts of Europe but mostly nonexistent in Japan. They have safety regulations, and very rarely, building height regulations, but really nothing else. It’s a free for all. Some foreigners love the quirky result having learned of it through anime, but personally I’m not a fan.
Yakuza
the bubble economy. that was an actual architectural trend
parts of Gion have been architectural heritage zones since the 70’s, but this just might be outside of that?
There are buildings like that all over Kyoto, build during the “ol’ good years” when money was flowing.
A lot of them currently look very old and crummy due to their age, plus I doubt architects use those designs anymore and they are probably hard to maintain (plus a lot of their owners are probably not doing financially good anymore).
Can you share the address??
That first one has some serious *City 17* vibes.
https://preview.redd.it/6nbmrqt7h2he1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=6228cba9d062250a232f574b50754100a2084ab4
number 1 looks strikingly like Shinra HQ from FF7….
If they got that bloody tower built, anything is possible.
do you remember where #1 and #3 were?!