Nakano Twin Towers, what will be tallest and most expensive apartments in our inner suburb, is rising fast just south of the JR station. Rumor has it that owners can customize everything, and that the apartments sold out fast. Is it only me that thinks this name for the two symmetrical 30+ floor residential towers is somehow wrong?
Another ridiculous English langauge name for an apartment building, Movements. Previously, I profiled Zesty Minami-Koenji, Decent, and one of my favorites Cram Place. As to Movements, I hope they were thinking of musical elements. Of course, that was not the first thing I thought of.
What’s the funniest Tokyo apartment building name you’ve seen?
I had to laugh at this blatant copyright infringement by a local realtor who is using Fukuyama Masaharo’s NHK historical mega-drama Ryoma character to advertise apartments in Nakano. The incongruity of this late Edo character selling very ordinary apartments in the present time is funny. And it’s a rare instance of super-blatant copyright infringement.
Much of Japan is divided between love for its two main idols: Fukuyama versus Kimutaku. These two guys have dominated male stardom for over a decade. Personally I find Fukuyama more cheesie and less believable than the ever fashionable Kimutaka. On the other hand, the husband is completely engrossed by the Ryoma drama.
Do you have a preference between Fukuyama and Kimutaka? Other favorite male idols? Please feel feel to link to your favorite images, commercials, etc.
Wouldn’t you want to tell your friends you live in a building named “Zesty”? Tokyo’s residential buildings have the most hilarious English names. Other favorites are Cram Place and Decent. I love how crazy names cross decades and social classes. It would be fun to give inappropriate names to all the buildings that are not yet named!
Bad boy Oshio has been arrested again, related to his leaving a hostess who overdosed in a Roppongi apartment owned by the Peaches John female tycoon. He’s arrogant, shameless, and– let’s be honest– kind of good looking in a more than slightly dangerous way.
The English language names of Tokyo apartment buildings are funny. So few have Japanese names. Whether upmarket or downmarket, the names are often so strange. Who can forget “Cram Place“?
This is one of my most recent favorites: the upscale “Park House Decent” building. Have you seen any funny building names in Tokyo?
A crew of ten has been methodically hard pruning the ginkos on the main street in front of our apartment complex. I am amazed at the skills and resources devoted in Tokyo to public trees.
In San Francisco, the city is content with a 20 minute training session and a couple of chain saws. In Tokyo, trained arborists climb the trees, use hand saws and prune the trees into perfect shapes.
I love spring. It’s been cold here the past two weeks, and the ever vigilant newscasters are reporting that the cherry blossom season is now one week behind the previous estimate. There’s actually a nightly map showing the progress from south to north, and west to east for peak blooms. It’s flower mania.
The photo above is an unknown (to me) woodsy flower growing outside our apartment complext. Below is quince plus some other very common small white flower shrub.
And just around the corner, near the house demolitions, is this amazingly fragrant small bush. It smells like honey. I wonder what it’s called?
Winter is giving us many more clear days and perfect views of Mount Fuji from our apartment. This sunset was particularly spectacular. You can almost hear the cries of the virgin sacrifices.
The sun came out after a few days of cool rain. Above is a twilight view towards Nishi Shinjuku. Below is the view from the hallway across Nakano.
Tokyo Moe 