Travel | BACKSTREET STORIES Jun 2, 2017

A trip to formal gardens yields finds of other kinds in Mejiro

by Kit Nagamura

Early summer, before the rains arrive and the squadrons of mosquitoes hatch, is a blissful time to stroll Tokyo's formal gardens. I launch off in search of one I've heard of in Toshima Ward, near Mejiro Station. The Yamanote Line stop has no connecting trains ...

People | CLOSE-UP Apr 7, 2013

Shigeru Ban: 'People's architect' combines permanence and paper

by Edan Corkill

Generally speaking, an architect’s style is defined by particular forms or shapes. There’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s prominent horizontal lines, for instance; Le Corbusier’s simple white boxes; or, more recently, the deliberately abstract masses of Frank Gehry — of Guggenheim Bilbao fame.

Travel | BACKSTREET STORIES Mar 31, 2013

Suites, treats and backstreets of the Imperial Hotel

by Kit Nagamura

The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, or "Teikoku Hotel," has occupied the same privileged location, across from Hibiya Park and minutes from the Imperial Palace, for over a century.