Category Archives: Japan

East Germany and Japan 2: economic cooperation

By benbansal Posted in Economics, Germany, History, Japan Leave a reply

The 1980s are often described as the “lost decade” for much of the second and third world. East Germany was partly able to avoid economic malaise. That was partly the case because Japanese banks kept the tabs open while relations between the GDR and the East Asian miracle nation blossomed. Some further historical anecdotes after the jump.

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Two icons of the 1980s GDR – Semperoper in Dresden and Mazda 323 parked to the far left next to more common vehicles Trabant, Lada, Skoda, and Wartburg; by Flickr user Felix O (creative commons)

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East Germany and Japan 1: Kajima Corporation

By benbansal Posted in Architecture, Germany, History, Japan 2 Replies

Japan’s post-war rise is often mentioned in the same breath with Germany’s spectacular economic miracle – the “Wirtschaftswunder”. For someone born on the other side of the wall in East Berlin, it is interesting to read about the less-documented relationship between economic superstar Japan and socialist East Germany during the decades of the cold war. The first installment in a set of some anecdotes is about Kajima Corporation’s export of Japanese construction practices to Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden.

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Hotel Merkur Leipzig model presentation by Kajima Corporation in 1978

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American embassy housing

By benbansal Posted in Architecture, History, Japan, Tokyo 11 Replies

While in Tokyo we lived in a serviced apartment in Ark Hills, right next to Roppongi-itchome station. We could see the 1983 US embassy residences opposite Roppongi Dori from our windows. I found some pictures from before they were built. They illustrate how the area has changed since the war and bring back to life two historic buildings that occupied the site before. 30 Nov: Update at bottom of the post

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September 1953 – Perry Apartments, left, with Harris Apartments on the right (Antonin Raymond), photograph from Gerald & Rella Warner Japan Slide Collection, reproduced with permission.

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China learning from Japan

By benbansal Posted in China, Economics, Japan Leave a reply

I went to a presentation by Stephen Roach (former chief economist of Morgan Stanley) a couple of weeks ago. He started off with a good overview of current global financial imbalances. Yet I felt he fell short on delivering on the presentation title’s promise – showing how China can learn from Japan – in good ways and in bad. Some of the topics I would have liked to be seen addressed after the jump.

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Shanghai haze viewed from Pudong

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Tokyo Tower Views

By benbansal Posted in Architecture, History, Japan, Tokyo 3 Replies

The built context of most Tokyo buildings shown on this blog has been radically transformed since their completion several decades ago. It is now almost strange to see these architectural icons stand in their “native” setting or while they were under construction. Thanks to Flickr and Tokyo Tower, we can even have a look further back. 1 December 2013: Update now at bottom of post, 23 February 2014: Another shot at bottom of the post.

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Both NOA Building and Reiyukai Shakaden under construction May 1974, photo posted with permission from Flickr user CosmicShip

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State Intervention

By benbansal Posted in China, Economics, Japan, USA Leave a reply

The proximity to Columbia University and my flexibility as a freelancer allow for plenty of visits to public lectures. So today I went to this mini-conference on state intervention and private enterprise in the US, Japan and China. What promised to be an intriguing event left a lot to be desired. The following lines are some casual and possibly incongruous observations.

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For the lack of a better photo: Chandler and Northwest Corner Building at Columbia University

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Japanese food

By benbansal Posted in Japan Leave a reply

The food has been one of the major perks of our time in Japan. The variety, the freshness and the dedication and love with which almost any meal is prepared is second to none. Since arriving in New York, we took a variety of ramen stops and enjoyed one kaiseki dinner. It’s been OK, but no match to our time in Tokyo.

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Beef avocado sushi, near Shibuya station

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