An upside-down reflection of high-rise building forest on moat water, seen through a misty, rippling surface.

View of Nature in Japan

Metropolitan Cityscapes

Extensions of the Earth's Nature

The city's greenery and waterscapes slow the frenetic pace of urban life and refresh the mind. Looked at closely, monolithic structures are reflected in ponds and moats, alongside the sky and trees. Tall buildings in the rippling reflections blur the borders between the artificial and the organic, between unyielding lines and fluid curves. These subdued cityscapes in the water remind us that even a metropolis can offer a comforting space. Tokyo, with its numerous parks and gardens filled with greenery and waterscapes, embodies the harmony of urban nature in Japan.

Tall buildings under the blue sky. Start a slideshow with Liszt’s "Sonetto 104 del Petrarca".

Metropolitan à la Carte – A Nest of Humans – (7:20)

A solar eclipse just before an annular one. Start a slideshow with an excerpt from Holst’s “The Planets, IV. Jupiter”.

Metropolitan à la Carte – A Nest of Humans on the Third Planet – (2:31)

A water fountain in a park. Start a slideshow with Debussy’s "Reflets dans l’eau".

Metropolitan à la Carte – A Nest of Humans on the Water Planet – (5:41)

Start a combined musical slideshow of the metropolitan cityscapes.

Metropolitan à la Carte – A Nest of Humans on the Earth – (3 BGSSs, 15:34)

A vertically flipped reflection of buildings in the water. Start a slideshow with Debussy’s "Elégie".

Water-buffered City (3:00)

Water-buffered Zone on the Earth

Organic Visual Structure

A vertically flipped water reflection (hereafter, "VF") captures an upward view from a virtual perspective beneath the water (see "Another Space in the Water", "Quick Look ASW"). The VF image is an optical integration of multiple light layers—the reflections of above-surface objects, elements floating on the water, the space beneath the surface, and shifting pockets of light and shade. The result is an organic visual structure rather than an optical illusion.

Water-buffered Zone

The greenery and tall buildings in the VF image appear more contrasted, yet softened by the water's fluidity and glass-like clarity. Such a water-buffered zone exists even in a metropolis, providing an urban oasis.

Watching Astronomical Events

Viewed from space, a metropolis is a massive nest built on the Earth by humans. Its cityscapes are thus extensions of the Earth's nature. Watching astronomical events over central Tokyo—such as the solar eclipse, the lunar eclipse, the transit of Venus, or the comet tail—grounds us in the reality that we stand on the Earth in the solar system.

✦ Notes

This section contains 4 BGSSs and a BGSS book. Please select and click the photo above.

• BGSS: BackGround SlideShow

• UD: Photo flipped Upside Down (indicated by a small "UD" mark in the bottom right corner of the slideshow)

• For details on the background music, please refer to "BGM List".

日本の自然像

メトロポリスの風景

地球という自然の延長

(To be updated)