Architectural Tour Japan - February 2008. Here are some snaps i took while i toured Japan in February, i mainly traveled the Tokyo and Kansai region and Kyushu which is the southern island. I must say however that Japan in some respects was not the architecture i was hoping to find, given that 75% of the land mass is mountain and the mass of the population centers around 25% of the available flat, the Japanese live mainly i found in high rise apartment building. The material most used was concrete and mass upon mass of concrete structures, i had a blast and getting out into the country was excellent which is where the traditional timber homes still exist. The minima aspect that i experienced, especially in Tokyo was not a pleasant one , i will go as far to say that my minima work was greatly influenced by my experience in Japan. Minima while conceptually is great idea for allowing space in tight confines, i believe that for sustainable living the space needed to be larger, in regards to the student study box. Anyway here are some photos, most of the work i photographed is by Tadao Ando, his work at Awaji Yumebutai i must say is one of the best.