Kitchens Galore and More

Last Sunday was a rainy day in Tokyo. We had friends visiting from the states and they are getting ready to remodel their kitchen and bathroom at their home.

On Saturday we had gone to Shiodome to see the Panasonic Living Center. You can wander through their four floors to see the latest in Japanese kitchen, bath, toilet, and living area products and designs. There are some excellent design ideas and products like the kitchen cabinets that raise and lower at the touch of a button. Ideal for those who may be a bit vertically challenged when reaching for items on the high shelves.

Since it was pouring down rain on Sunday we decided to continue the kitchen tour by visiting Lixil's showroom, which is located in the Sumitomo Fudosan Grand Tower Building, 7th floor. Nishi Shinjuku 8-17-1, Shinjuku Ku, Tokyo. See the access map at: http://advance2.pmx.proatlas.net/s7976_036/detail.php?no=326

Once you've had your fill of kitchens, baths, and home goods head on over to Shinjuku Park Tower (this is also where the Park Hyatt is located) to see the Tokyo Gas showroom. More kitchens, but the best part of this showroom is the model home that's just the right size for a couple. It's designed with lots of modern goodies for easy living. My friend was really impressed with the layout of this model home and it's also barrier free, which becomes important as one ages.

After checking out the model home, if you want to see a bit more, go up to the Ozone and work your way down floor by floor using the escalators. You'll finish your "tour" in the Conran shop. From there you're just a short stroll from Shinjuku Station.