Symphony of destruction

Tokyo is one big construction-destruction zone. You're always within about 100 meters of a work site where buildings are going up or coming down. Dump trucks come and go, pedestrian traffic is carefully guided by elderly Japanese men in hard hats, and the sound of jackhammers fills the air. This scene is repeated in every neighborhood of the endless capital. The workers remind me of the industrious little Doozers from Jim Henson's puppet TV series Fraggle Rock, who lived simply to build things.

One reason for this incessant construction the fact that buildings in Japan are seen as disposable commodities with a lifespan of around twenty years only. To quote author Donald Richie quoting Italo Calvino, it's as if Tokyo is always being built so that it can never be destroyed. It is in a state of eternal unfinishedness.

A few years back, some of these unsung workmen smashed their way into the limelight. A small Yokohama demolition company called Nihon Break Kogyo had an unexpected hit single on its hands when its corporate anthem (many firms in Japan have such) was picked up by a TV Asahi variety show. Recorded by a company demolition worker and musician who calls himself Manzo, the rocking tune sings the praises of the firm as well as the glorious nature of pounding things to bits in general to make room for new homes, shops, pachinko parlors, etc. The ditty, which the company hoped would help burnish the dirty image associated with its line of business, became so popular that karaoke and cellphone ring tone versions were made. A silly video, with Manzo strumming his guitar onsite, can be seen here.

So what did Manzo put on the cover of the song's CD to symbolize the heroic nature of demolition work? A humanoid robot, of course, floating in space a la Mobile Suit Gundam. It's a beautiful thing.