Are US Cities Ugly or Beautiful? (3)

When it comes to enjoying driving, the US would be probably one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I heartily realized when I drove a BMW that I purchased recently in Tokyo...I had to be extremely careful to stay in the lane, not to hit bicycles and walkers, perhaps more than twice as much as in the US.....it was far from "Freude am Fahren"...it was actually the pain of driving.....<<

By contrast, how pleasant it always is to drive in the US, especially countryside...That's why I just cannot stop emitting CO2 whenever I have a free weekend in the country. I fondly remember going down to Virginia Beach, one week after the Labor Day this year when I was on a business trip in Washington, DC. It was still warm, but not really hot, and quiet as if the sea were still sort of relishing the afterglow of the summer.

Are US Cities Ugly or Beautiful? (2)

Sometimes, clean means ugly. Many suburban US cities look almost identical to me, in that they only have McDonald, Taco Bell, Subway, gas stations, local grocery stores, schools, hospitals, local government buildings and of course, churches, that's it. They look very new and clean, but somehow ugly in a way at the same time, in that they seem too simple and shallow....they don't exhibit depth and calculated beauty that much older cities like in Europe, the Middle East and Japan do.

This is a town that I encountered while I was driving in Delaware. I thought the it is very cute, like the one appearing in the movie "Back To The Future". It's very clean, no dusts in sight on the building surface. But to me, it is the total cleanness that makes it ugly and stifling....

Are US Cities Ugly or Beautiful? (1)

Last night, I had an interesting discussion at a Fulbright party to welcome new grantees. One American scholar said, "Once you cross the Canadian border, cities are much more clean and neat, whereas US cities are ugly."

That's an interesting question....I agree that New York is not too clean, but does that mean it's ugly? What I love about the city doesn't actually have do with whether it's clean or not. It's the vibrant energy, agressiveness, and dynamic atomosphere that continue to fascinate me.

And it's also interesting that I appreciate these wonderful traits especially when I'm in Tokyo. Both cities are similar in that they are sprawling, dynamic cities, but NYC's energy is in a toally different dimention......you see what I mean??

Best Scenes of 2006 --Vol.7: Berlin (3)

So.....what do you think this is? A Guggenheim museum somewhere? Close...! Nope, it's actually Germany's Parliament. It completed rennovation in 1999, and is now a symbol of new unified Germany, and its free and transparent political discussion.

Nuclear Shelter in Berlin

I heard the news that after North Korea conducted a nuclear experiment, Japanese construction companies dealing nuclear shelters have had a lot of queries. That reminded me of one in Berlin....as part of the attractions of a museum called "The Story of Berlin", there is tour to a nuclear shelter built in 1974, right in the middle of the cold war era.

It contains a kitchen (see picture), bedrooms, bathrooms, everything. The most amazing thing was that it's located in the basement of a big shopping mall in downtown Berlin....if there were such a shelter, say, under the mall in Shinjuku, I'd be stunned. But such a secret project might be going on where I have no idea...???

Best Scenes of 2006 --Vol.6: Berlin (2)

In central Berlin, I saw so many these bicycle-driven eco taxis! I thought it's so environmentally friendly Germany, but you know what, I saw one in the middle of Manhattan in NYC in September, too.

Best Scenes of 2006 --Vol.5: Berlin (1)

I am a Brahms freak. Just to listen to his symphony No.4 at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, I went to all the way to Berline in June. And you know what, I could get the best seat in the whole hall.....how lucky I really am!!