Small Japanese shops (1/300)

[Viator]

A pair of the multi-flat tall buildings.

This is a conversion of one of the Akihabara buildings (I believe it is #36 on the original free 1/250 diorama by Niku-no Mansei / Mansei Club). I added the recessed balconies and parapets around the roofs, together with numerous small 3D rooftop details and few vending machines around the ground floor. The shade of the walls were differentiated ("swap colors" function of IrfanView viewer/editor). In 2017 Tokyo was proposed as the capital of the next Olympics, as the huge banner on the wall is announcing (the original banner bear a Laox electronics store logotype, one of the greatest electronics retailers in Akihabara along with Onoden, but I decided to add a sport scent to the buildings. And I like the multi-colored sakura flowers. The one-color pattern of the final banner of the Tokyo Olimpics, which replaced the "candidate" banners in 2020, was elegant but nonetheless much less kawaii ).

If someone wants to try here you are the sheet of the lower of the two in 2 color options to be printed on A4.

(#75 & #76)

[Viator]

Sorry, it is not a building #36 but #30 (#36 is a police station).
This is the original sheet:

[Viator]

Drugstore

Once again a Paperstructure/jimdofree tall building model by Jun Takekawa-san, one of his 1/220 set. The lattices were added (copied from one of his other models in 1/150 scale and doubled).

(#77)

[Don Boose]

More excellent buildings for Nekomura!

Nice work, as always, Andrew.

Don

[Viator]

Working simultaneously on few other projects, I neglected my Japanese little houses, so now I feel I must return from the medieval Europe to the Honshu seaside for a while and add some new stuff here before I could start the next church or castle.

Let's begin with a little shop connected with the garden, fenced with the hedge. The house is a traditional machiya, i.e. a town living house with the family business on the ground floor. The model is TGW original, slightly modified and partially recolored, while the parcel is of my own design. The wicket (often closed) separates the family private part from the main road, while the parking area for delivery trucks on the other side of the building has no gate (but one more "wall" of hedge divides the space into two zones: an open park area and the private garden). The first image attached shows the concept.

The hedges are made of paper as well as everything except the pine tree and all the remaining garden plants (and the figures).

In the very moment the shop has been closed for some ten minutes. The little pink kei truck has parked next to the house and the son of the owners together with the driver, his friend, are managing the fresh delivery. The couple of owners are resting on a bench in a garden corner with their daughter. Grandma went for shopping by car and left the private gate opened - she will be back within a quarter. The last top view image shows how her little car could be comprised on the little parcel area.

(#78)

[Viator]

Another variant of the same building design. This time I used slightly longer base (4x7 cm) and I am sorry for using once again non-cellulose materials for the flowers, plants and the water surface, but I wanted to make full japanese-style garden with a little pond, single-arch bridge, and a chashitsu (tea ceremony) pavillon. Well, the chashitsu, the bridge and (except the plastic foil imitating the small waves), the pond itself, with small koi fishes painted with white, orange and red acrylics against the "muddy" dark green bottom, all are made of paper, as well as the fence, hedge, and the house itself. And I am pretty happy with the result.

The little shop is representing a uniquely japanese idea too, not in the sense of a shape (it is even slightly more modern than the previous one) but in the sense of its branch: it's a stamp shop; the place where you can design and obtain your own personal stamp, called hanko or inkan, which is absolutely necessary for validating nearly any type of the official documents, signing of the contracts or bank cheques instead of putting down your hand-written signature - that's why the Japanese without his highly personalized hanko with (at least) his family name in kanji or kana couldn't exist, and the same for companies. So, the shop selling the small round (personal) or square (business) stamps on short wooden cylinders (or, in more modern version, resembling the lipstick tube when closed) is a must-be in every town. So here you are one.

On the side walls above the neon signboard one can see the exemplary square inkan.

(#79)

[Don Boose]

It's a beautiful little shop, Andrew, and I enjoyed watching the secluded niwa take shape. I have visited places like this hidden away on narrow streets in cities in Japan.

Don

[catopower]

Viator, I really love what your doing here. I was actually born in Tokyo, but our family left there when I was three. I've been back there five times since now, and the last time was in 2016 and I'm itching to go back.

When I look at your models, it just makes me want to go back, all the more. I'm looking forward to visiting Nekomura and doing some shopping and dining!

I wonder if I can find some inexpensive housing there so I can live there? Hope you can build one for me. Maybe with a little yard or courtyard would be nice!

[Viator]

Dear Don, as usual I appreciate your support very much!

Clare, I will be happy living in such a place too!
Maybe if you want me to build some nice hut for you in my town, try to find some photo images or to make some sketches and I will try to recreate your concept in paper.

[Don Boose]

Until such time as Clare's hut is completed, perhaps we can all gather to talk and drink tea in the chashitsu in the back garden of Andrew's inbou [I THINK 印房 (いんぼう) is the right word for the little shop selling stamps and seals].

Don