Hand-built fantasy tower brings value to Tokyo, creator says

A cyclist rides past the four-storey Arimaston Building by Oka in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Passers-by stop to stare at the ramshackle, hand-built concrete tower, which seems straight out of a Japanese animation. Photo: AFP

Passers-by stop and stare at the ramshackle, hand-built concrete tower that looks like it has been lifted right out of a Japanese animation and dropped onto a real-life Tokyo street.

Its creator, who spent almost 20 years making the distinctive four-storey Arimaston Building, thinks his slow approach to construction can be an example to the world.