June 5, 2016

Yushima Tenman-gū

Yushima Tenman-gū is a small Shinto shrine in northern Tokyo I found after getting off at the wrong train station on the way to Ueno Park. The building pictured above is actually not the main shrine itself, but one of the other buildings in the complex. more

June 4, 2016

The Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

One of my favorite buildings in Tokyo is the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower. Located in Shinjuku, it’s one of the most striking buildings on the skyline. The above is shot from an unusual angle, looking up from an opening in the pedestrian tunnel that leads west from the station. more

June 2, 2016

Book Review: Cumulus

Cumulus is a new novel from Eliot Peper, set in an near-future Bay Area remade by severe economic inequality, ubiquitous surveillance and consolidation of corporate power. While it works better as a commentary than as a novel, the dystopia it presents is a plausible evolution of current economic and social trends and worth a read by fans of the genre, or anyone interested in where another decade or so might take us. more