Sensoji temple goes to court to halt skyscraper construction

Friday 25th September, 06:03 AM JST

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caffeinebuzz at 09:37 AM JST - 25th September

joetheplumber, I'm not sure what you can do to fit in a 133-meter-high building just a short hop from the temple. Surely they can find a better site to build a condominium than slap bang next to a place of such significance. Progress should not always have to equal either the thoughtlessness or the stupidity of the bureaucracy.
DeepAir65 at 09:58 AM JST - 25th September

good luck to them - just what Tokyo needs more empty condos with developers refusing to bring the prices down.

The planning laws here are very strange and it is nice to see someone making a stand - all-be-it forlornly in my opinion
tokyokawasaki at 10:59 AM JST - 25th September

Money and brown paper bags will get you almost any sort of permission you need "nudge, nudge, wink, wink".
joetheplumber at 11:01 AM JST - 25th September

Building developments equals employment. That is what Japan needs. Sensible development is a must for keeping employment on the right track. Temples and shrines are everywhere in this country.
senseiman at 11:28 AM JST - 25th September

Just because something generates employment does not in and of itself make it a good thing. You still have to weight the costs and benefits.

I don't know enough about this specific project to comment and I'm guessing - Joetheplubmer - that if the only comment you can offer is that it makes jobs and therefore it is good then you know nothing about this project either.
Stonecoldsoba at 11:32 AM JST - 25th September

Caffeinebuzz:

Surely they can find a better site to build a condominium than slap bang next to a place of such significance.

Yes, they did find a better site. As the article says, they found a place several hundred metres to the west.
joetheplumber at 12:20 PM JST - 25th September

".... 37-story condominium being built several hundred meters west of the temple, a popular tourist spot." Read the story. It is several hundred meters away, not next door. A temple or shrine should not dictate development. Employment is a big issue here. Get Japan back to economic recovery and create jobs.
gogogo at 12:23 PM JST - 25th September

Hundred meters? How about in my old apartment 5 meters, my view went from could see shinjuku (about 3 KM's) to grey wall.
joetheplumber at 12:56 PM JST - 25th September

Sensoji Temple occupies a large are of land in Tokyo. There are many high rise developments near it. Some are in need of demolition because of their age and condition. A new modern building several hundred meters away will not affect the beauty of this old temple, nor will it cut its visitor numbers. Check it out yourselves.
LFRAgain at 01:02 PM JST - 25th September

Building developments equals employment.

Building crap just for the sake of building crap (and "creating jobs") still results in a lot crap that nobody needs, no matter how many people are become employed due to entirely manufactured, artificial demand.

Much like the countless Highways to Nowhere that litter the Japanese rural landscape, the temporary relief these building projects provide is just that: temporary. And when the building sits vacant for 1 year due to low or no demand, as is often the case with these huge condos, the company will invariably end up writing it off at a loss, and subsequently fire a large chunk of its staff to make up for the shortfall in expected revenue. Unemployment rears its ugly head yet again.

I agree that boondoggles like these ubiquitous, architecturally uninspired mansions that keep popping up everywhere, do little to improve quality of life for those living in this particular neighborhood with the shrine. I really hope they win. But I think these folks might have had better success if they had spoken up before the construction began. As it stands, it sounds a lot more like sour grapes than an honest effort to change zoning laws.
presto345 at 01:43 PM JST - 25th September

But I think these folks might have had better success if they had spoken up before the construction began. As it stands, it sounds a lot more like sour grapes than an honest effort to change zoning laws.

I think they would have done that if they had had advance notice. As it is, developers with these unpopular plans, and all attached cronies, prefer to keep a low profile and don't spread the word for everyone to know what they are up to till the last minute. Approval for these types of 'development projects' (= destruction projects) should not be in the hand of bureaucrats who don't give a da.. about what the city is going to look like in the next couple of decades. Residents living in the vicinity need to be given more decision power.
joetheplumber at 01:54 PM JST - 25th September

There are many old buildings that litter Tokyo and other cities. Most of them are a hazard and an eyesore. Their owners do little to up grade them and when developers come in and build modern buildings many cry out and attack them. Cities like Tokyo would not get anywhere if developers could not get their projects off the ground. The Temples occupy huge areas of expensive real estate and sound alarm bells when someone wants to build next to them.

As for highways to nowhere, how about the little narrow roads that do not have sidewalks and pedestrians get killed trying to walk inside a white line. Why not fix these? Sure keep guidelines clear and open for developers but do not hinder them. Jobs are important. You will realize it when you do not have one how important a job is. Constructing a building has many economic benefits. Think about it.
LFRAgain at 07:47 PM JST - 25th September

"Jobs are important. You will realize it when you do not have one how important a job is. Constructing a building has many economic benefits. Think about it."

I've been unemployed before. Wasn't fun. You might want to check your attitude at the door before you presume to lecture someone on the harsh realities of having no job.

" . . . how about the little narrow roads that do not have sidewalks and pedestrians get killed trying to walk inside a white line. Why not fix these?"

I couldn't agree with you more. Now if only that was what was happening, rather than pissing away huge chunks of cash on highways that no one needs or uses.

"Cities like Tokyo would not get anywhere if developers could not get their projects off the ground."

Again, I agree with you. But like you said, the guidlines need to be clear and open.

With the groups opposing the condo in the article, they aren't, as the article points out, against the building per se. They're against what appears to have been a backdoor loophole to zoning regulations that might have otherwise prevented this building from going up near the temple.

Another point you might want to keep in mind is that Japan is a Buddhist/Shinto influenced country. Yes, there are a plethora of temples around. And why shouldn't there be? Your argument against their owners wanting to maintain some degree of sanctity for their areas of worship is akin to saying developers should have every right to knock down a few churches in Rome to make room for condos because, hey, they've got plenty of churches in Rome.
Sarge at 01:08 AM JST - 26th September

37 floor condominium"

I wouldn't want to live on the 37th floor of that condominium.
nutsagain at 08:09 AM JST - 29th September

But it's also true that this an almost sure-fire money getter these days. The buddhist temple up the street also runs a kindergarten as so many do, and when an apartment block went up next door, the priest nagged for and eventually got some huge compensation. Cutting off sunlight was the reason ...