Official
Is Tokyo a stone trade fair?
Speaking of Tokyo, it is sometimes referred to as "concrete jungle" or "Tokyo Desert (e.g. old), but I don't think it is said to be a "stone town", but in fact, quite a stone is used It is
Inside the station building and department store, the walls on the roadside and the exterior of the building are conscious of, and stones are used here and there. However, since it is polished and looks like a tile, there are many things that are used without thinking of "stone".
On the other hand, many Japanese cities are castle towns, originally built on sandy plains, which are gravel and mud, so if you want to use stones for construction and civil engineering materials in the Edo period, you have no choice but to transport them from somewhere.
When British architect Josaiah Condor came to Japan, he seemed to have had a hard time finding good stone. When his apprentice Kingo Tatsuno made the Bank of Japan, he did not want to compromise on the stones he used, and he was particular about using the "Kitagi stone" of the Seto Inland Sea, which is said to be the finest "granite".
This building sits in Ginza, Chuo-ku.
Looking at the stones, it seems to be quite deep ... but this time I would like to take up "Za STONE the Stone", which shows a particular commitment to stone. This is the headquarters building of Grapestone Co., Ltd., known for "Tokyo Banana", which is popular in Japan and overseas as a souvenir of Tokyo.
When I was working in Osaka, I received this "Tokyo Banana" from everyone coming from Tokyo. If I was in Tokyo, I couldn't know if it was such a standard. I myself had only a store in Tokyo, so I brought Barmkuchen's "Nenrin House" when visiting other cities for souvenirs.
It is said that the founder of the Grapestone loves unrivaled stones. In general, this building also has STONE, and the company name is Grapestone.
The outer staircase following the cafe is also made of stone.
In this building, 24 kinds of stones are ordered from various regions, and at the entrance of the building, sculptures of Zimbabwe black (black granite from Zimbabwe) are also displayed. No matter how much space you have, it's characteristic.
Both the elevator hall and the outer stairs leading to the cafe are surrounded by stones. They seem to have considerable commitment to the combination of stones that change their expression depending on how they are finished, such as "wari skin" that retains the texture of the cracked, "jet & polish" that is finished with flames on the surface, and "back plate" that retains mining traces from Choba.
Of course, Afternoon Tea is also delicious.
Of course, the Afternoon Tea set is also delicious! I was able to spend a relaxing time in a quiet store based on delicious sweets. (As of March 2020, it may be closed due to COVID-19, so please check the official website for details.)
If you look at the historical buildings of Chuo-ku with the viewpoint of stone, the more you know, the deeper you know, the deeper the world. I would like to delve into another opportunity.