“Moshi Moshi, Shimokitazawa”: for an Architecture of Conviviality

Banana Yoshimoto’s short essay, published in Japanstory.org, reminisces about the Tokyo neighborhood of Shimokitazawa and the loss over the years of many of its charms. “All relationships, not just our love affairs, prove awfully difficult once the brightest days are behind us” is how she sums up her growing disaffection with the place.

Yoshimoto writes that smaller, independent businesses used to be lifeblood of the city, keeping things interesting. She blames their disappearance on the neoliberal policies of the government of Junichiro Koizumi, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006. Since then, she claims, the distinctive atmosphere of the neighborhood has disintegrated, its ragtag collection of local shops and places with tasty food giving way to shiny chain stores and restaurants.

Despite Banana Yoshimoto’s longing for a lost Shimokitazawa, it remains one of Tokyo’s more vibrant and promising neighborhoods, best known for its many vintage clothing stores among a maze of narrow streets. Notable among recent developments is the Shimokitazawa Bonus Track, a living-working environment, on top of land owned by Odayku, a private railway company.

The aim of the studio is to build on the promise of Shimokitazawa through a series of architectural and urban interventions of different scales and typologies that respond to the needs of the neighborhood and the demographic changes, including degrowth, that are taking place across the whole country. Through architectures of adaptation and modification as well as new buildings and regenerated public spaces, we will attempt to restore Yoshimoto’s faith in the city and its potentials for conviviality.

In this task we plan to follow the Austrian social critic Ivan Illich, who in his book, Tools for Conviviality, speaks of the value of “autonomous and creative” interrelationships between people, as well as between people and their environment.

The studio will travel to Japan and visit many projects and people, including architects, engineers, and construction companies. As in previous years, we will be joined by the engineer, Mitsuhiro Kanada, who has worked with many contemporary architects.