American buildings on a Japanese layout

[bc6]

Hey guys I had a couple of unfinished DPM buildings that I was thinking about incorporating into my layout and wanted some opinions. Personally I think they look ok but I dont know if its because they're unfinished or what. They sort of dont fit in I dont know, what do you think. If youre not sure the DPM buildings are the brown and blue buildings. Ive switched up the arrangements of the building in each picture.

[bill937ca]

You will find some buildings like that in Japan, but because earthquakes are so common masonry buildings are frowned upon.  You can always fit them into a background scene where the details won't be too visible.

 

Older buildings in Japan:

 

http://www.nogai-soko.com/nostalgie/nostalgiya.htm#shouwa-zakkyo

 

http://www.nogai-soko.com/kanagawa/kanagawa0.htm

[bc6]

You will find some buildings like that in Japan, but because earthquakes are so common masonry buildings are frowned upon.  You can always fit them into a background scene where the details won't be too visible.

 

Older buildings in Japan:

 

http://www.nogai-soko.com/nostalgie/nostalgiya.htm#shouwa-zakkyo

 

http://www.nogai-soko.com/kanagawa/kanagawa0.htm

 

Thanks for the awesome building links bill, the DPM buildings look like they could fit in on a Japanese layout. Now I see where Greenmax got the idea for their Bank structure.

[alpineaustralia]

I reckon the each of them except the white one could fit into a japanese layhout. The tick is to cover them up with japanese signs and they will fit right in beautifully. The white building just screams out European/Nth American to me.

[bc6]

I reckon the each of them except the white one could fit into a japanese layhout. The tick is to cover them up with japanese signs and they will fit right in beautifully. The white building just screams out European/Nth American to me.

 

alpine I think youre on to something, signage I have yet to detail any of the buildings. Believe it or not the white building is from Kato its supposed to be a bank. You know now that I really look at some of Kato's buildings some of them look North American in style.

[alpineaustralia]

Yeah it is funnyt that you should say that because I have often suspect that Kato produced these building for both the US and the Japanese markets.

[Fenway Park]

There is a photo of the prototype on the back of the box. It looks Japanese with all the wires and cabling. I do not have the model any more as it was too large for the layout.

 

Perhaps someone can translate the text around the photo.

 

DPM models were to found in some of the earlier Kato catologues in the background.

 

Brick is not very common in Japan but there are mock brick facings on some buildings plus other survivors from the 1900s including the British Consulate in Moji.

[cteno4]

Another idea with the dpm kits is to just give the masonry walls a wash of thinned plaster to try and fill in the brick texture and turn them into cement or wood frame buildings. other thing is to look at is the window frames as the dpm are older us double sash windows while many japanese buildings use more square windows or sliding casement windows.

 

the Hilltowne Hotel is one dpm kit i saved when i cleaned out a lot of my us buildings lately as it looks like it could be cement or steel girder with stone siding for an older hotel. only problem is so many larger buildings in japan in cites are post 40s more concrete and steel construction.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Mudkip Orange]

There's also the minor, minor detail that we've both copied each other's architecture over the last 100 years. Japan swiped Midwestern American architecture in the late prewar years (1930s), and Frank Lloyd Wright swiped Japanese proportions and minimalism at about the same time. Thus Kato "banks" that look like they could be in Iowa, and "Prairie Style" houses that would fit right in on a sprawling exurban block in Osaka.

 

Honestly, I'd avoid the DPM. Sell them on eBay, or consignment at your local RR shop. The "small town main street USA building that doesn't fit in on a Japanese layout" cliche tends to get around, so if you can avoid it that's worth suPEr BONUs PoINtS

[scott]

the Hilltowne Hotel is one dpm kit i saved when i cleaned out a lot of my us buildings lately

 

That's funny--that's the prime candidate for the main hotel on our mongrel layout. I know it's going to look unprototypical in the end, but I'm looking forward to trying to make a mix of European, Japanese, and (some) America stuff that looks OK together.

[Mudkip Orange]

Hilltowne Hotel wouldn't be *too* out-of-place on a Japanese layout, since it's a model of a stucco/concrete/terracotta building.

 

As an example, see Nankai's Namba station.

 

The main thing is to avoid brick buildings.

[Guest ___]

I wish I had a picture of it to post, but on my daily walk to the hotel from the station, there were four of five "western" buildings right smack in the middle of central Ueno. I mean hey stood out like a sore thumb.

[scott]

The main thing is to avoid brick buildings.

 

After 16 years in Charlottesville, where Everything Must Be Brick, I've instituted a complete ban on bricks on our layout. I think every outside architect, consultant, etc., thinks that they must include bricks, white columns, and specific references to Thomas Jefferson in everything they do here. (Jefferson's home, Monticello, overlooks the town and emits some sort of weird design curse.)

 

But I think this will help turn our Fakey Generic International Setting into a more consistent, believable background for our rail operations. 

[cteno4]

speaking of western buildings in japan, someone spotted a possible traditional christian church prototype from tomytec at the last trade show... seems odd. maybe for more western sales now that its getting around the world or maybe for those japanese doing western layouts.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[bc6]

speaking of western buildings in japan, someone spotted a possible traditional christian church prototype from tomytec at the last trade show... seems odd. maybe for more western sales now that its getting around the world or maybe for those japanese doing western layouts.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

 

Its funnie you mentioned church's Im thinking about incorporating a church into my town. The research Ive done seem to indicate that some churches in Japan look like residential buildings, other church bulidings are your typical Roman Catholic structures. Ive posted a Google link below of a search Ive done.

 

 

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&um=1&newwindow=1&q=churches+in+japan&sa=N&start=36&ndsp=18

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z61Aj1kD-tA/SNlcIA_E4QI/AAAAAAAAAAw/bvurihBRzCI/s1600-h/tmp1471727a.tmp..jpg

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Jesus_Church_in_Japan

[cteno4]

there was just a discussion of this over on the jrforum. mentioned was that most western style buildings are mainly seen in Kyushu and Hokkaido and that not many churches in japan are western style. most are more japanese style buildings.

 

the cool thing about modeling japan is you can usually find a prototype for something you want like this though and looks like you have!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Mudkip Orange]

After 16 years in Charlottesville, where Everything Must Be Brick, I've instituted a complete ban on bricks on our layout. I think every outside architect, consultant, etc., thinks that they must include bricks, white columns, and specific references to Thomas Jefferson in everything they do here. (Jefferson's home, Monticello, overlooks the town and emits some sort of weird design curse.)

 

But I think this will help turn our Fakey Generic International Setting into a more consistent, believable background for our rail operations. 

I love you.

[scott]

I love you.

 

I've told you, don't call me Morris in court!

[bill937ca]

speaking of western buildings in japan, someone spotted a possible traditional christian church prototype from tomytec at the last trade show... seems odd. maybe for more western sales now that its getting around the world or maybe for those japanese doing western layouts.

 

 

I think there is interest in modeling the wild west in Japan.  A brick church is a bit out of place for the 1870s, but I imagine a early steam layout is a bit of a fantasy world for most Japanese.

[Fenway Park]

Further info on the Church suggests it was in Kobe and destroyed in the earthquake. 

[bill937ca]

I found a very interesting western style railroad station today while watching You Tube videos.  What caught my eye were the pillars in the video preview.  It just doesn't look like at Japanese train station.

 

 

It's Ujiyamada Station on the Kintetsu Yamada line.   It's the closest station to Ise Grand Shrine and is important for tourists and pilgrims.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujiyamada_Station

 

 

 

 

 

It's a through station with a stub terminal on one side. The tracks are on the third floor and you can only exit the station from one end.  There was a tour bus ramp up to platform level, but apparently it has not been used for years.  It was a cross platform transfer to sightseeing buses.  You can see the ramp and a turntable on this web page.  http://sugizaki.oline.jp/?eid=997790

 

 

Map:  http://mymapofjapan.com/transit/stations/view/3100914

 

It's a very interesting station.

[Mudkip Orange]

That's hot. Japan does Art Deco. I think there'd probably be more examples of that kind of architecture if it wasn't for copious American bombs circa 1942-45.

 

Track plan is ice. I've used a similar arrangement on a lot of layout designs (stub terminal next to through terminal). Nice to see a prototype for it.

[bill937ca]

speaking of western buildings in japan, someone spotted a possible traditional christian church prototype from tomytec at the last trade show... seems odd. maybe for more western sales now that its getting around the world or maybe for those japanese doing western layouts.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

 

There are actually 3 Tomytec churches, not 1.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097925

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097926

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097927

 

There are also 3 sets of 'people in the wedding' to do an 'American style' wedding which are popular in spite of Japan being a country where the prime religions are  Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

[cteno4]

I wonder if the head designer for tomytec is getting married?! very odd selection for the next series of bldgs and people to be sure! i could think of a lot more popular scenes, but i guess marketing thinks wedding scenes will sell (i have only worked with one marketer who really knew what they were doing though, the rest bluffed their way through things horribly).

 

also three small bridges

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097931

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097932

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097933

 

and a japanese garden. i hope it looks better than it does in this photo.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10097934

 

glad to see tomytec continue to crank things out. big question will be if they keep these items in stock in the future or just let them peter out of stock and maybe re-release later. a couple of the festival stalls appeared to have sold out this summer and have not been restocked. the tomytec line with bldgs, vehicles and scenic pieces is becoming quite a large product line when you look at the numbers now!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

I think all the odd items are driven by volume of items needed for various dioramas Tomytec and Kodansha are offering.  The wedding scene could be buried in the diorama at the back.  When you look at some of the listings of left over Kodansha diorama items on eBay range is very large.