Most famous ANKYO (culvert) in Tokyo?

Many Tokyo Walkers will answer to this question “Cat Street” in Harajuku. The question itself might be nonsense, because the word ANKYO is bit of technical and little-known for people, not talking about you of course! The official name is “Former Shibuya-gawa River Promenade Road”. The reason that the name ends not just “Promenade” but “Promenade Road” would imply that the street planned both for pedestrian and for cars. Although “Cat Street” on the Shibuya or south side above Omotesando street is popular, we, ANKYO divers, must start diving from Killer Street (Gaien-Nishi-Dori Street). The start diving point is TERRAZZA, Italian name meaning “Earth”, an exposed concrete edifice. He (or she?) looks exactly like the gatekeeper or guardian of Cat Street ANKYO. Short distance from new national stadium.

 

[Map]: “Cat Street (former Shibuya-gawa River Promenade Road)” The total length is approx. 1.7km from Killer Street (Gaien-Nishi-Dori) to Meiji-Dori Street  at Miyashita Park.  Base map © 2020 google

TERRAZZA / Gatekeeper at Killer Street

[Photo 1]: “TERRAZZA” Designed by AMORPHE (Kiyoshi Sey Takeyama ), completed in 1991, short distance from new national stadium and contained Jaguar Aoyama Showroom on the 1st floor. 5 minutes from Kitasando of Metro Fukutoshin Line or Gaienmae of Metro Ginza Line.

 

Let’s walk along Cat Street from the upstream. When you enter the corner of TERRAZZA, you will enjoy KUNEKUNE (curvy or twisted in Japanese) street like Hebimichi(Snake Road) in Yanaka. “KUNEKUNE” creates a maze-like street where you can barely see over ahead. The sense of spatial coziness surrounded by small buildings and the visual sequences of various building elements vibrated by the walking rhythm comfortably stimulate our body sensations. Originally, the riverside in the city used to be “SHITAMACHI” (downtown or low-land town) where people nest collectively and densely. Despite the river is buried over transforming into the road, thanks to its narrow width, the possibility of large scale re-development is quite low due to the planning restrictions depending on the street width. Even if the buildings along the street are replacing into new one, the original scale of town or the memories of  “SHITAMACHI” land cannot be hidden. “KUNEKUNE” also has the effect of slowing down the vehicular traffic speed, creating safe and comfortable space for pedestrians. Nicollet Mall by Lawrence Halprin, though the difference of scale and character, is a good example of urban design to benefit this “KUNEKUNE” effects. This neighborhood has not (yet) occupied by global brands, keeping many young privately owned shops, good small business(!), for example of the beauty salon and fashion industries, originating vigorous Shibuya / Harajuku culture. At the start from TERRAZZA, walking the first half part of the cat street about 700 to 800m, you will reach Omotesando street. However, the TUJI or intersection between Omotesando and Cat Street is only for pedestrian so that the cars cannot pass through. The same condition at the opposite Shibuya side blocks direct car access from the crossing. This is one of the major reasons in preserving a pedestrian paradise condition on Cat Street as it is today. Importantly the street is a dead-end for cars at the one side, not a road prohibiting 100% of vehicular access. Inclusive for both. It cannot turn into a dangerous loophole for high-speed traffic sometimes unexpectedly spawning in our dense and populated residential areas in Tokyo.

 

[Photo 2]:”The neighborhood of Jingumae block 3″ On the first part of Cat Street, the mixtures of various shops such as cafes, bakeries, hairdressing salon, apparel shops and etc. co-exist in the quiet residential streets. The closer to Omotesando street, the more commercial buildings are appearing.

 

GYRE / Gatekeeper at Omotesando Street

When reaching to Omotesando, you will find again an iconic gatekeeper building at the entry of the next Cat Street. While the Italian TERRAZZA with a deep chiseled face standing at Killer Street, the gatekeeper of Omotesando GYRE was formed by the cutting edge Dutch architects group MVRDV. Funky architectural expression: the boxes are stacking out with slight rotation, or GYRE-ed, like toy blocks. This operation of GYRE-ed stacking generates various terrace conditions around envelop so that you can climb up this architectural “topography” to the rooftop. Both the old and new gatekeeper architecture TERRAZZA and GYRE on Cat Street share a common concept that creates new “topography” in the architecture. However, their design approaches are different. While TERRAZZA expresses, with the brutal form of exposed concrete, a representational, ambiguous and static “façade” reflecting the contemporaneity in 80s, GYRE devotes to producing (only) diversity and dynamism in space by the simple operation of stacking abstract boxes. Therefore, the architecture holds childishness, or challengingly speaking “ugliness” indifferent to the beauty of the façade in the classical value. This intentional “ugliness” designed by the Dutch architectural elite weirdly and naturally fits into the fragmental and confused landscape of Tokyo or the city of without coherence. It can be said that the master-amateur-piece architecture in Tokyo.

 

[Photo 3]:　“GYLE”　Designed by Takenaka + MVRDV, completed in 2007. The façade from Omotesando street.

Let’s explore down the river. When entering the corner of this block stacking building, Cat Street re-starts again. While the first half part is a relatively quiet environment maintaining the ambience of a residential area, the second half part is a commercial street lined up apparel tenant buildings with large glass windows. The city holds high metabolism that new buildings or tissues replace one after another, there exists the building just in the middle of first track construction. The cityscape is messy with no sense of unity, but the fabrics of the low-rise small buildings from 2 to 5 stories are very human and village-like looking. Such scape can be categorized to be “happened to be born” scenery, it would be very difficult to intentionally materialize such a quality of “beauty”.

 

[Photo 4]: “The neighborhood of Jingumae block 6″ On the latter half, Shibuya side, of Cat Street is a fashionable commercial district lined with various apparel tenants. Although mediocre disappointing streetscape, the asphalt pavement distinctively and interestingly traces the history of old river flow.

Terminal station / Miyashita Park

After passing through the stream full of young Tokyo walkers and reaching Meiji-dori street, you will find a huge artificial ground of Miyashita Park. Also at the end of Cat Street, a symbolic gatekeeper has enshrined. This linear site in Shibuya has been very popular for many students as diploma project sanctuary over the generations, including our around 50(!), who ambitiously challenge to create powerful urban architecture but the final answer has been realized to flatten various young dreams. Starting from TERRAZZA , GYLE and to the terminal Miyashita Park (the proportion of this building is exactly like station), all three are talking consistently about the story how to make new “Topography” in architecture. Architecture is “Topography”. When I have stood on to the rooftop ground of Miyashita Park, that linear open space reminds me of the High Line in Lower Manhattan. Although the space is a bit of too “GOCHAGOCHA” (complicated or messed up) and, I think, lacks a sense of openness as park, this “GOCHAGOCHA” field symbolizes “TOKYO-ness” both in good and bad meanings.

 

[Photo 5]: “Miyashita Park”

When come to this point, the uncovered Shibuya River is almost around the corner. Following the trace of the river and going down to the ground from the grand staircase of Miyashita Park, you can get a bird-eye view of the roof of “Nonbei-Yokocho“(the alley of drunker) from the stair landing. “Nonbei-Yokocho” is the remain of the barracks densely standing along the river.

 

[Photo 6]: “Nonbei-Yokocho” (the alley of drunker). Viewing from grand stair of Miyashita Park.

 

Open (to) the river / Shibuya Stream

From here you have to be trouble around the labyrinth of Shibuya station zone. No matter how many times visited to Shibuya, I will lose the orientation… When barely reach Aoyama-dori street, you will find “Shibuya Stream”. The urban project positively adopted the Shibuya River as front space, which had been abandoned away as back space of dim and dirty drainage river for long time. This hydrophilic new public space enhances the valley-like topography of Shibu-YA(valley) surrounded by buildings. In general the rivers in the city have high potential as commercial space. (Ask Jon Jerde.) Edo-Tokyo originally was water city of rivers and canals for example like Venice, Amsterdam and Suzhou. Old River Urbanism is idea for awakening the memory of water. It is interesting of the contrast of architectural gestures that Shibuya Stream worships the river “thankfully” while the existing buildings turn their back “annoyingly”. The success of Shibuya Stream will lead to many follower projects, commercial complexes that bring the river back to front. After the riverside renovated too clean and organized, I even miss our ordinal scenery of the former dirty Shibuya River. Since arrived at the KAIKYO (open river / antonym of ANKYO) at last, we should finish our diving tour along old Shibuya River, pretended to be “Earth Diver” exciting essay about Tokyo genius loci written by Shinichi Nakazawa.

 

[Photo 7]: “Shibuya Stream” Valley or Canyon surrounded by tall buildings, symbolizing and enhancing Shibuya-Valley. One of the successful examples of a commercial public space skillfully designed the good relationship between city and river.

2020.11.15 Hiroyuki Niino