For many of us, when we say Shinjuku, these skyscrapers come to mind.
This is the business district, located on the west side of Shinjuku Station, where many people go to work everyday. It's a view I've come to love and on a sunny day like this I always end up taking photos of the skyscrapers, even though I know I have hundreds of the same angle.
I actually saw these skyscrapers after the first earthquake hit on March 11 and they were all weaving back and forth. Now this may seem scary (no doubt it was for the people who work there) but it is actually intentional, a way to alleviate the shock through flexibility.
My building sways as well and for the past week it has felt like we're all working on a boat with all the new earthquakes and aftershocks. But I know that I'm safe and it makes me very proud of our engineers and the well constructed buildings. No doubt the strict building codes saved many lives for the people of Japan.
I've been watching a Taiwanese TV program very closely, where they praised Japanese people and their spirits. There's a reason why strict building codes exist and I wish Taiwan can learn something from your country.
ReplyDeleteThe world has so much to learn from Japan in times of crisis. It's amazing how everybody remained calm and civilized. I'm so impressed.
These beautiful buildings are a memento to the ingenuity of those who built them. I know that being there during a serious quake may be scary but it is probably much more safe than in many other places.
ReplyDeleteThere were some videos of the large buildings on television that recorded them swaying during the earthquake. Still, it is a frightful thing when you are on the top floor and thinking I wonder if I will be able to get back down to Mother Earth?
ReplyDeleteI once sat on a chair and the chair was on wooden floors in the office of the personnel section at XVI Corps Headquarters in Sendai and me on my chair was scooted about 20 feet across the floor and my knees ended up bumping the knees of a Mrs. Bryant whose husband was a major and a doctor at the hospital in downtown Sendai. It wasn't a bad thing - touching her knees. lol
and this is one thing I wish our country would take into seriously,
ReplyDeleteif we do experience a big one,
(knock on wood...),
a lot of infrastructures here would be in darn big trouble.
actually,
we just had a mild e.quake around 7ish tonight. nothing serious though...
beautiful skyscrapers kaori.
"often shake but rarely topple", I guess is something we could have said about out twin world trade towers.
ReplyDeleteThey look so pretty against that beautiful blue sky. Never having been in an earthquake before, I'm not sure what my reaction would be to the swaying!
ReplyDeleteKaori: Did any of the windows break or any parts of the buildings fall off? That is a big concern I have. Many tall building have stone slabs affixed to them with adhesives, and I wonder how they do in earthquakes.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! pretty impressive! Brings new meaning to the term "rock n' roll"!!!
ReplyDeleteKeep on swaying, stay alive. It's beautiful modern architecture too.
ReplyDeleteA cloudless clear blue sky above - how gorgeous. Must be quite a sight to see tall skyscrapers swaying together...
ReplyDeleteIncredible buildings ! Great picture that allows to imagine their height.
ReplyDeleteMay time and life continue to treat them and those inside kind.
daily athens
Wow, you really are living in Shinjuku ward now, and within walking distance of these buildings and so many other places: Shinjuku Gyoen; the last remnants of the Tamagawa Aquaduct (the furthest reaches of which pass directly in front of Bunka Women's University across from Yamaya; the gazebo on the knoll in Chuo Park; early morning bird activity; the Isetan food floor... it’s endless, isn’t it?
ReplyDeleteSomeone said it takes about a year to understand the ins and outs of Shinjuku Station.
Glad the skyscrapers were designed with shock absorbers in their bases. They really held up well, didn’t they? But one remembers that the Fukushima nuclear plant was designed with earthquakes and tsunami in mind also. Just not that big!
I would envy your living there but in my old age I have begun to prefer a slice of lemon in my tap water rather than radioactive iodine and cesium... Sigh.
So very much am I looking forward to your explorations and sharing.
Wishing you the best of luck and continued health.
I saw a video of the skyscrapers moving back and forth during the earthquake. Even though I know intellectually that they're built to do that, and if they didn't they'd collapse, I'd still be terrified if I was there when it happened!
ReplyDeleteSkyscrapers seem counter-intuitive, but they're the safest place in LA as well. If you can stand the ride.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've heard lately, the building codes in Tokyo are second to none. It's like riding in a plane, I guess. You just have to trust the engineers.
Mister Earl, I haven't heard of any damage to the skyscrapers here in Shinjuku. The earthquake here was only slightly above 5 on the Shindo scale and I hear most skyscrapers are built to stand at least 6. If the Hanshin earthquake, which was around 7on the Shindo scale happened here in Tokyo, windows probably would have shattered in some buildings. Very glad that wasn't the case this time.
ReplyDelete(A little heads up: “...this My City,” maybe, however, “...which bring many different people to this this city,” hmmm.)
ReplyDeleteMy word verification is typottip!
Tall Gary, that is brilliant! I had to actually use the official "search" to find it! haha. Wrote it so long ago, I didn't even remember. Thank you! I love having an editor around :-D
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're back! I look forward to exploring Shinjuku with you. Many of my friends here have commented on the building codes that saved lives in Japan. Three cheers for engineering!
ReplyDeleteKaori, my heart palpitates just reading your post about swaying buildings! My fatalistic take on it is that when it's my time to go, it's time to go, no matter what the cause. Of course it helps a lot to be in a well-engineered building at the time of an earthquake. Not many places on earth can offer such confidence. Your shot of these attractive skyscrapers is awesome. What breaks my heart is the misery the survivors of a disaster must live with.
ReplyDelete