A rumor was going around that one of the most iconic metabolist architectural buildings in Tokyo, Nakagin capsule Tower, was getting demolitioned soon. The building’s owner decided to sell due to poor living conditions and lack of maintenance and thanks to covid, the money isn’t there for the large-scale repairs.
The building was completed in 2 years from 1970 to 1972 and has housed residence, travelers and in the bottom part office spaces. The architecture, Kisho Kurokawa, design the structure during the Japanese postware cultural resurgence and left an everlasting impression. Each capsule is attached independently and is made to be replaced, that was the original idea but none of the rooms have been changed out.
Although the capsules are still being rented out and things are falling apart there is a long waiting list to get a chance to spend a night or live in one. The cheap rent is an attractive feature to those life long salarymen.
The good news is 80% of the capsule owners must approve the demolition and although in 2007 it did pass that voiting number it still stands to this day. Something tells me there’s a little more magic to the building and we’ll see the rumor slowly fade.
Even if it does go down one day or you never have a chance to visit, the build has been featured in favorite video games and movies; such as Transport Tycoon and in the movie The Wolverine. Who knows what’ll happen but one thing is for sure, its an interesting building and one that has made Tokyo even more futuristic.
