The ground level of Odaiba is on the second floor! ? Town walk with Motoko Tanaka

Grand Level Motoko Tanaka x NOMURA Co., Ltd. Planner Ryusuke Nomura,
While walking around Odaiba, he talks about his thoughts on the town and its people.

In March 2021, NOMURA Co., Ltd. opened a communication space “RESET SPACE_2 (hereafter RE/SP_2)” for employees. With the birth of this space, Ryusuke Nomura, the employee in charge of general planning and creative director, came to have a strong idea.

The town of Odaiba is the “home” of NOMURA Co., Ltd.. That's why I want to create a social good * relationship that gently connects "workers" and "local people" within NOMURA Co., Ltd..
*Social good: NOMURA Co., Ltd. promotes “social good activities” that create a positive impact through business activities in order to realize a sustainable society.

Therefore, nomlog editorial department has planned a "town walk" and a "talk" to deepen your understanding of the town of Odaiba (this article is "town walk"). Ms. Motoko Tanaka from Grand Level was invited as a guest. Mr. Tanaka is a town development professional who creates a new landscape and a gentle relationship between people with original ideas under the motto "Building the first floor is town development".

Odaiba is characterized by a mixture of hare (extraordinary) and ke (ordinary) scenery, and unexpectedly everyday scenery spreads out on the second floor. Therefore, I made a hypothesis as the theme of the town walk.

The two of them verified this hypothesis and sought hints for loosely connecting "workers" and "local people". What do these two people, who have unique perspectives, talk about and what do they feel as they walk around town? (Click here for the sequel interview)
[Interview date: October 2021 / Due to production reasons, some masks are removed only during shooting]

Think about the human scale of Odaiba at a cafe where the sky can be seen

――The meeting place is ARTBAY CAFE (closed on November 14, 2021), which is located near Tokyo Teleport Station on the Rinkai Line. Tanaka-san and Nomura met for the first time on this day. First, the two of us look up at the sky over Odaiba while drinking iced coffee.

At ARTBAY CAFE, fine weather suitable for walking around town

Tanaka: It's been a while since I've been to Odaiba.

Nomura: The road is wide, there is a giant Ferris wheel, and there is a life-sized Gundam standing there. I think this is the kind of place where you can feel that Daiba is somehow comfortable.”
*Human scale: A size that allows people to live comfortably (From the NPO Iezukuri no Kai website)

Tanaka: Some people may say, 'I haven't been to Odaiba much lately,' but if you experience this kind of human scale in Odaiba, I think you'll have a new image.

Nomura
 “I love big spaces. I don’t like crowded trains. Some places are hard to find anywhere else.”

Tanaka
 “That sense of scale certainly seems to exist in Odaiba.”

Nomura
 "That's right. Shall we go soon? Please enjoy Odaiba to the fullest today."

――The two of you leave the cafe and start walking toward Odaiba-kaihinkoen Station on the Yurikamome Line through the teleport bridge where many people come and go.

Cross the teleport bridge and head towards Odaiba Kaihinkoen Station

Nomura
 "I don't like to be in close contact with people, but that doesn't mean I don't like alleys. It's because you have both that you're human..."

Tanaka
 “I think that humans have many facets of their personalities, don’t they? In the same way, I think it’s okay to have many facets of the feeling of ‘like’. I don’t have a favorite color. I like everything in black.I like both wide and narrow spaces.I don't like this one, but I'm okay with this one.I think all of them are correct.I have to decide on one, then It's cramped."

Nomura
 "There are things that I can't decide, and I don't think there's anything that I have to decide, especially in the future."

Emotional scenery created by human hands

――Multifacetedness is what makes us human. As we were talking, we approached Odaiba-kaihinkoen Station... Go down to the first floor and move to Decks Tokyo Beach, a commercial facility.

Go down the teleport bridge to the 1st floor level

Nomura
 "Our company is a member of the Tokyo Rinkai Fukutoshin Community Development Council, and one of our employees said, 'We will plant tulips again this year.' We clean up and plant flowers.
* Click here for 2020 activities

Tanaka
 "That's a wonderful story! Even in a newly built town like this, there are definitely scenes where people are tending. Even if you don't directly see the moment when trees and flowers are planted, when you see the planted tulips. Also, it's fun to decipher what happened and who planted it."

Nomura
 “In the downtown area, people still put up plants in front of their houses and line them up in rows, right?

Tanaka
 "It's a Japanese landscape. People tend to think that town development is free overseas, but in fact there are many strict aspects that say, 'That's not allowed.' My job is to create a first floor. However, there are surprisingly many restrictions from foreigners, such as ``I want the entire first floor to be a store,'' or ``I want the glass openings to be above a certain percentage.'' People living in the alleys can grow plants freely. , I think it's the emotional freedom that is typical of Japan.

The seaside area is lined with commercial facilities for tourists. Arrive at Decks Tokyo Beach

――The escalator at DECKS Tokyo Beach goes up to the spacious deck. On the day of the interview, it was a bright autumn day. It seems that Mr. Tanaka was moved by the scenery the moment he stepped onto the deck...

Mr. Tanaka impressed by the view of Odaiba from the deck

Tanaka
 “Wow, this place is so beautiful!!”

Nomura
 "That's right. Actually, my image of Odaiba is this place. It's a landscape with a city on the other side of the sea beyond the forest. Maybe Odaiba could become the Brooklyn of Tokyo. , every time I come here, I think (laughs).”

Tanaka
 “I understand, the Rainbow Bridge is also beautiful.

Nomura
 "In the evening, the setting sun is very beautiful. If the air is clear, you can see Mt. Fuji."

Tanaka
 “Ah, I’m sure it will be beautiful in the evening and also at night.”

People enjoying a stroll on the seaside deck

Is there a reason why food stalls are loved by human scale?

――While walking on the spacious and long deck, the story turns to “human scale” again.

Nomura
 “I had the opportunity to go to Fukuoka for work, but due to the declaration of a state of emergency due to the corona crisis (as of October 2021), there were no stalls that are famous for it…”

Tanaka
 “I really like the unique Asian feel of the food stalls, or rather the miscellaneous feeling, I really like it.”

Nomura
 "That's right. Every time I see a night market or a food stall abroad, I feel 'nice'. That's because I can eat all kinds of things without hesitation, and I can feel the atmosphere outside. I think that's why many people are attracted to yatai."

Tanaka
 “If you eat at a stall you don’t know, it may be unexpectedly expensive, or the taste may not be what you expected, and you run the risk of feeling unpleasant. I think it's one of the most human experiences to be able to say, 'Well, this kind of thing happens sometimes.'"

Nomura
 “It would be interesting if there were many food stalls on this deck as well (laughs).”

Tanaka
 "Agree! It would be nice to have a human scale experience at a food stall on the deck of Odaiba."

* Decks Tokyo Beach deck is on the 3rd floor.

Encounter children playing on the 2nd floor where hare and ke are mixed

――Two people who left Dex. After crossing the bridge, we will walk through the 2nd floor area, where nursery schools and children's houses are lined up, which is a daily routine for people living in Odaiba. It's past 4:00 pm, and there are many children running around in front of the children's house...

Sightseeing area (Hare) and daily life area (Ke) connected by a bridge

The left side of the photo is the sightseeing area (Hare), and the right side is the daily life area (Ke).

Tanaka
 "The children are so full of energy that it's fun to watch them! I think the reason why they can run around so safely is because this is a place on the second floor where cars don't come."

Children can be seen playing happily outside the children's house on the second floor.

Nomura
 “Because there are no cars, you can kick the ball as hard as you can, and you can feel a sense of security. right"

Tanaka
 "I think so. That's why it would be nice if we could create more ground level spreads on the second floor of Odaiba. 'When you go here, everyone's gathered.' ’, it’s like everyone’s favorite place to casually go to.”

Encountering children on their way home from school

--Go down the stairs and go back to the first floor. You should be able to see the Odaiba beach on your right, but on the day of the interview, it was still covered with a high fence due to the removal work of the venue.

Nomura
 "It's a pity you can't see it, but the beach is also really nice. There are old men who are enthusiastic about getting tanned, couples who are sitting and talking, and workers who buy lunch boxes and take a lunch break. Iritari... It's a public space for the people who work in Odaiba, the residents, and everyone else.

"Odaiba's ground level is on the 2nd floor!?"

-- Cross the road and arrive at Rainbow Park. I look back on my walk around Odaiba.

Tanaka
 "This is the first time I've walked around Odaiba thinking, 'It's a nice place!' I was very conscious of this town, but what I felt today was that the sky is clear, there are children playing happily, and there is both urban scenery and nature. , As Mr. Nomura said at the beginning of the town walk, there are many places that are on a human scale.

Nomura
 “Odaiba seems to have a strong image of a city of consumption and commercial facilities, but in fact there are places where people live normally.It is also a place where many people work.That multifacetedness is what makes Odaiba interesting. Maybe it's a little... By the way, today's theme is "Odaiba's ground level is on the 2nd floor!?" falcon?"

Tanaka
 “I think that things like ``What is everyone looking at the most?'' and ``Where will everyone gather the most? You don't have to stick to just

Nomura
 “Does that mean that the point where people and the city connect is the ground level?”

Tanaka
 "That's right, that's right! That's why Odaiba's ground level is on the second floor, and as for the verification of... it's going to be long after this, so why don't we change places and talk slowly?"

Nomura
 “Of course!

―― So, let's continue with the dialogue. looking forward to.
The secret is in serendipity! ? What is semi-public that connects “workplace” and “living place”?

*Thank you to everyone in the area who cooperated in writing this article.
(Planning: Yukiko Okamura, Ai Ichikawa, Satoko Yokota / Text: Shoko Minamoto / Photography: Yui Yasuda)

Motoko Tanaka /Right photo
Representative Director of  Grand Level Co., Ltd. After working as a writer in the field of architecture, in 2016 he established Grand Level Co., Ltd., which specializes in creating rich first floors, under the motto, “Building the first floor is urban development.” In 2018, “Cafe Laundry” opened as a private public hall. In 2019, he started the “TOKYO/JAPAN BENCH PROJECT”. In addition to activities to increase the number of benches in the city, he is also involved in the joint development of benches and the launch of brands.

Ryusuke Nomura /photo left
We are working to solve customer problems in various fields such as commercial facility development, regional revitalization, and workplaces, and we are focusing on building communication and creating spaces. Thinking about the future and space design in 5 to 10 years from now on a human scale, while pioneering new fields, he is in charge of consistent creative direction from the planning conception stage to the design and construction phase. Recent achievements include green tea, agriculture, and tourism experience-based food park "KADODE OOIGAWA" (2020), NOMURA Co., Ltd. 's office renewal headquarters "RESET SPACE" (2018), new offices (RESET SPACE_2, etc.) (2021). .