PROTO-ARCHITECTURE

“Akihabara (秋葉原?) (“Field of Autumn Leaves”), also known as Akihabara Electric Town (秋葉原電気街, Akihabara Denki Gai?), is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to Akiba (アキバ) in Japan. While there is an official locality named Akihabara nearby, part of Taitō-ku, the area known to most people as Akihabara (including the railway station of the same name) is actually Soto-Kanda, a part of Chiyoda-ku.

Akihabara is a major shopping area for electronic, computer, anime, and otaku goods, including new and used items.”1

With the proliferation of internet shopping, this area isn’t as intense as it once was, but it is still a mecca for all thins electronics.  Computers, cell phones, games, game consoles, tvs, anything is aviable as the smallest shop to huge multi-floor retail complexes.  Its a fun visit.  I was able to pick up a micro SD card for my phone, but not a special set of earphones…and it’s even a Sony…hmmm.

The main hub of this area is the Akihabara train station.  A huge transportation node, commuters are constantly moving through the area.  While there I was able to sneak down a side street to see a building I’d seen while in school, Peter Eisenman’s Koizumi Lighting Building.  It’s a deconstrucitivise design of rotated grids upon grids.  I was a little dissapointed that they’s added a big sweeping glass enclosure at the base, and toned down the paint scheme (it was some glorious mid 90s decon pinks, laveders and greys).