Quote:
Originally Posted by GoNative
I understand there are many reasons why so much architectural heritage has been lost but I still think it's a great shame. I mean if you travel through Europe so much architectural heritage has been preserved. Whole towns have building overlays and restrictions so that the character of the town is retained. Nearly every town you go through is an historical wonder. There's a few towns like that in Japan but really only a few. Most in my eyes were pretty damned ugly. It's a real pity in my opinion. For a country that has such an old and established culture I was kind of blown away by the lack of aesthetic beauty in most towns. And for gods sake why oh why can they not put the powerlines underground????? The powerlines are about the ugliest thing in all Japanese towns and cities. Some places do have them underground and what an incredible difference it makes!
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There aren't much in the way of building codes or standards in Japan. You can build anything you want, regardless of how ugly or poorly made, so long as the building has three or less floors. There are no regulations requiring that your new home be built to match the architecture of the surroundings, such as there are in America or Europe. Walk through a neighborhood in Tokyo and you'll see run-down shacks buried behind apartment buildings and newer homes. You can paint your home any color you want, from the vilest shade of mustard-yellow to the brightest blood red.
New Japanese houses are simply ugly. They are block-like, built with as much sense to style as machinegun pillboxes on the Normandy beaches. The windows are high and small, affording no views, the doors are metal, with a camera and intercom. In a country as safe as Japan is, people seem to prefer homes and apartments which are as secure as prisons, and even styled after such. My own apartment is concrete and steel, and the architecture seems inspired by a fire department building.
I much prefer the traditional Japanese houses, poorly insulated and fire-prone as they are. I see them come up for sale from time to time, at bargain prices.