pictures taken around the tokyo edo museum at ryogoku designed by architect kiyonori kikutake. it is an extraordinary building, erected at the height of the japanese bubble economy, at a cost of lord knows how many million yen. the interior, while initially impressive with its reconstruction of the japan bridge of old edo is ultimately a pretty lifeless and staid conservative curatorial approach belied by the grandiose architectural statement. the museum embodies a peculiar kind of folk nationalism combined with a celebration of japan as a technocratic and economic superpower. nevertheless worth visiting for anyone interested in tokyo’s history.

the green roofed building seen in one or two of the shots is the kokugikan, tokyo’s premier sumo stadium.