When you think of famous office buildings in Tokyo that have been around for a long time, which ones come to mind?
The Mitsui Main Building in Nihonbashi (completed in 1902) is in a league of its own, but the San Shin Building in Hibiya (1955)… I think it’s gone now, the Otemachi Building (1958), the Kasumigaseki Building (1968), and so on. If you’ve worked in Tokyo for a few years, you might have a few buildings that come to mind.
One building I consider to be on par with these is the Palace Side Building (1966), located directly above the Takebashi subway station with a view of the Imperial Palace. I recently had the opportunity to meet someone there, so I arrived a bit early and took some snapshots of the building’s interior and exterior using my LUMIX GF10 with a Leica DG SUMMILUX 15mm lens.
Perhaps it’s easier to recognize it as the building where the Mainichi Shimbun headquarters is located along the moat.
The Mainichi Shimbun flag didn’t spread very well, and it was too hot and bright to stay there for long, so I’m sorry for the strange photo.
The public zone spans the basement and first floors, where you can freely take photos. The retro-chic atmosphere, just the right amount of aged charm, evokes a sense of comfort for those born in the Showa era.
An old-established Western-style restaurant. In the afternoon, I overheard the staff of the neighboring old-established Chinese restaurant saying, “It’s too hot today, so the regular elderly customers aren’t coming, and we’re pretty slow” (with a wry smile).
Although the building has been renovated and looks different from when it was first completed, the “futuristic design” of the cylindrical elevator tower hall is something you don’t see in many modern buildings today. It’s so far behind the times that it actually feels new and somehow looks quite cool.
It’s hard to see, but the metal sphere handrails on the front stairs are really nice.
I regret not trying harder to get the composition completely symmetrical (though it’s difficult with the small GF10).
The design of the “Main Reception” (though it seems to no longer be in use) also evokes the Showa era.
Oh, I’m sorry for the long article. I still have a little more of my self-satisfying shots left.
The handrails of the stairs made from this wire are nice.
And finally.
At the edge of the building on the first basement floor, there is a mysterious round window overlooking the parking lot entrance.
I don’t quite understand the intention behind placing it here, but the circular design, which seems to catch you off guard, is really intriguing.
It was just a 30-minute photo walk before meeting a friend, but it turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable. I was reminded once again how useful the MFT 15mm lens is for this kind of snapshot photography.
