Tokyo, Japan
Architect Peter Marino, creator of stores for Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, reveals the traditional secrets of one of his favorite cities
By Kate Betts
Fall 2004 Style & Design
He may be the visionary behind some of the flashiest high-tech
buildings in the Ginza district (Chanel's new 10-story flagship)
or along Omotesando Avenue (Louis Vuitton's 36,000-sq.-ft.
monolith), but when New York City-based architect Peter Marino
heads to Tokyo, he seeks out the city's more traditional—and
simple—sites, including the shitamachi, or low city. "This city
is a succession of villages, and in each one the atmosphere is
that of a different world," he explains. One of his favorite
routes is from Waseda University down to the Minowabashi station
on the Arakawa tram line. "It's a part of Tokyo that did not burn
during World War II, so you can still find the small houses and
the covered markets of the past," he explains. "And the people
all know each other." Another favorite of his in shitamachi
Tokyo, north of the Ikebukuro district, is Sendagi, where
traditional shops sell Japanese paper, lacquer ware and shell
combs. Some of these treasure troves are tucked in right next to
Tokyo's busiest districts. Just 15 minutes from the Ginza, along
the Sumida River, is Eitai, another village filled with
mini-restaurants where only five people can sit. Another gem, the
Kiyosumi Garden, is only a few blocks away from Kabutocho,
Tokyo's Wall Street. "It was owned by a samurai who sold it to a
rich merchant at the end of the 19th century," Marino says.
"Later, beautiful huge stones were gathered from all over Japan
and brought there. There is a lake and a teahouse on the lake
where you can rent tatami and shoji at lunchtime." For the
ultimate spiritual experience, Marino loves the sight of the
pilgrims—or o-henro-san—in white gowns and large straw hats
walking the 1,000-mile pilgrimage of the 88 temples on Shikoku
Island, outside Tokyo. "These days, very few people still walk,"
says Marino. "Most prefer taxis, private cars or buses." That's
modern Tokyo.
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