MICHELLE CHIANG

‘Switch Rooms’ at Shibuya Hikarie

I happened to watch ‘Tokyo Eye‘ this morning, and the restrooms at Shibuya Hikarie just blew me away.

Shibuya Hikarie is a new shopping and entertainment complex. It caters to women in their 20s to 40s. The ladies’ rooms here are called ‘Switch Rooms’. According to the official Shibuya Hikarie directory guide, a switch room is is “a multi-purpose room that is much more than than the standard restroom“. Those rooms allow women to ‘switch’ their moods. The Switch Rooms on each floor has a unique concept. All the switch rooms have WiFi access and surround sound music.

5F – RELAX STAGE

4F – Accent STAGE

3F – Style Up Stage

B1F – Beauty Presentation STAGE

B2F – Mammy’s STAGE

B3F – Open STAGE

You can take a virtual tour of the Switch Rooms on Shibuya Hikarie’s website.

You can see more photos and read more about the Switch Rooms on Rocket News 24.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum 北投溫泉博物館

After visiting the Beitou Library, I walked across the park to Beitou Hot Spring Museum.

Beitou District is the northernmost end of Taipei City and is best known for the hot springs here. The museum was a public bath house built in 1913 by the Japanese Colonial Government. It became deserted until discovered by a group of teachers and students from Beitou Elementary School in 1994. In 1997, the building was designated as a third-grade historical site and was transformed into the Beitou Hot Spring Museum after renovation.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum entrance — Museum Entrance

The entrance to the museum is located on the second floor. All visitors need to take off their shoes and put on the indoor slippers the museum provides.

The main part of the second floor is the Tatami Lobby.

Beitou Hot Spring Library - Tatami Lobby — Tatami Lobby

Beitou Hot Spring Museum - Tatami Lobby — Tatami Lobby

First floor was where the bathing took place. Originally there were changing rooms and separate baths for men and women. There were individual bathrooms and a rest area for the VIPs.

The Big Bath is surrounded by arches and columns.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum - Big Bath — Big Bath

Beitou Hot Spring Museum - Stained Glass Panels by the Big Bath — Stained Glass Panels by the Big Bath

The Beitou Hot Spring Museum is such a beautiful building. The exterior of the building is in the Victorian style with brick and wood. There is a little amphitheater in the back.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum - Amphitheater — Amphitheater

If you find yourself in Taipei, spend a relaxing day in Beitou. There are many hotels in the area to enjoy the hot springs.

Beitou Library 北投圖書館

I was excited to see Taipei Public Library, Beitou Branch chosen by Flavorwire as one of ‘The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World‘. I had to visit the library in person when I was in Taiwan last month.

Taipei Public Library, Beitou Branch opened in 2006 and is the first certified green building library in Taiwan. It has a large collection dedicated to ecological conservation.

It was raining hard the day I visited. As I walked towards the building, I could see all the people in there reading quietly. It was a beautiful and peaceful view with the library standing in the rain in the wide open park.

Once I was inside, I felt surrounded by nature as the furniture and most of the interior surfaces were wood. Bookshelves were below eye-level to create the openness of the space. All the windows were open. There are tables and chairs on the balcony for reading.

(All interior photos below are from Taipei Public Library website.)

Beitou Library - periodicals — Periodicals Area

Beitou Library - stairs to B1 — Stairs to B1

Beitou Library - outdoor reading area — Outdoor Reading Area

I spent a couple of hours reading at the library. It was very pleasant morning.

Here is a video explaining why this library is ‘Green’:

[added Jul. 13, 2012] This is a video about the library in English:

‘Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945 – 1980)’

Over the weekend, I happened to watch ‘Tsou LA’, a local Mandarin TV program, introducing the exhibit ‘Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945 – 1980)‘ at Chinese American Museum.

I was surprised to find some major landmarks such as LAX were designed by Chinese American Architects. One of four architects was a female. Architect Helen Liu Fong. She designed many restaurants and coffee shops including Norms Restaurants. Here is an article in L.A. Time about Helen Liu Fong when she passed away in 2005: http://articles.latimes.com/2005/apr/26/local/me-fong26.

As an Asian designer and a Los Angeles resident, I am going to see the exhibit before it closes. How am I going to get there? Metro! Of course!

Exploring Los Angeles

My favorite way to explore the City of Los Angeles is by Metro Rail. With a day pass of $5, I am able to have a fun day without worrying about being stuck in traffic and paying for parking. I always recommend this adventure to visitors from out-of-town.

I usually start my journey from the Orange Line. It is a bus and there is not much to see along the way. North Hollywoodstation is the beginning (or the end) of Metro Red Line. This is where the excitement begins. There are Universal Studio and Universal CityWalk, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, and The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) along the way. The final stop is Union Station. Taking the Gold Line from Union Station, one can go to Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and Pasadena. To attend trade shows, I take the Blue Line from the Red Line and go to L.A. Convention Center or L.A. Mart.

L.A. is a fascinating city. I enjoy the mix of old and new. Metro has allowed me to be free from driving.