Like so many of these monuments, little thought has apparently been given to the setting. The Asahi torch is close by the Sensoji Temple, one of Tokyo's oldest and most traditional Buddhist sites. What this lookalike of a Star Wars battle station has to do with Tokyo's past is a mystery. At any moment you expect it to zap the graceful national sumo stadium next door and reduce it to galactic dust. For those who recoil in shock at the sight of some of Tokyo's more offbeat architectural offerings, there is at least some consolation.
Nothing lasts very long in the Japanese capital.
Those that did, such as Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Imperial Hotel, eventually fell victim to the wrecker's ball. One day, no doubt, the legacy of the Bubble Economy will pass into history. All that will be left will be Tokyo's dynamic eclecticism. And that is timeless. All Rights Reserved.