Goodbye to the Future: The Last Days of Tokyo’s Nakagin Capsule Tower
Situated in Ginza, this icon of Japan’s architectural avant garde — designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa in 1972 — is destined for demolition.
On the western fringe of Tokyo’s Ginza district, you can find a bizarre structure that looks like something from Logan’s Run or some other half-forgotten sci-fi movie of bygone years. It consists of an asymmetric pile of identical concrete boxes, each with a large circular window that stares out at the world like an impassive eye.
There are 145 of these boxes, which are living spaces designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa. In 1972, they were trucked one by one to the site from a factory in Shizuoka and bolted to the twin central towers. They have been hanging in the air there ever since.
This icon of Japan’s architectural avant garde is the Nakagin Capsule Tower. If you are interested in viewing it, you had better hurry. The word is that the new owner of the Nakagin company has secured enough votes from capsule owners to go ahead with a large-scale redevelopment scheme. The entire building and its unremarkable neighbors are destined for demolition.
