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By Chris Jongkind
Tokyo's Shuto Expressway
Part of the Chuo Loop Line
Westernized and utilitarian to the point of being drab, the skyline and architecture of Tokyo is a bit disappointing to anyone naturally expecting an exotic and eye-catching Asian metropolis. Though if you go in search of architectural gems or lofty heights in Tokyo, you certainly can find them; the Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo Tower, City Hall, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, all are impressive via either their beauty or height. Though where the Japanese especially express themselves is in the engineering; a somewhat less eye-catching trait of course, but a key Japanese strength due to their threat from (and experience with) earthquakes.
The Mukojima Line, along the Sumidagawa in Ryogoku
And it may not get any drabber than one of their finest examples of structural engineering, the Shuto Expressway. It is a series of roughly 25, most elevated freeways that encircle and pierce the city. Started in 1962, it has expanded to almost 300 kilometres of admittedly bland but underrated and extraordinary engineering marvel.
Looking south on the Arakawa
Engineering aside, the placement of these strips of pavement is the most thrilling part (if pavement could possibly be considered thrilling); curves, merges, and off ramps swoop in over the sidewalks, a scant few metres from building facades in a configuration that would surely give foreign urban planners chills down their spines. This elevation allows for interesting underside viewpoints, such as the east/west bloom where the Edobashi Junction splits in Nihombashi, or on the riverbanks where activity paths are aligned underneath.
Mukojima Line splitting at the Horikiri Junction
It's certainly understandably overlooked, being a roadway and all, but be sure to take notice; soft-spoken, practical, efficient, a microcosm of the Japanese spirit.
For other images of Tokyo's urban pulse please visit www.chrisjongkind.com.
Pavement script on the Ikebukuro Line
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