The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, seen in 2014 with visible decay, was a pioneering example of Japanese Metabolist design, comprising 140 detachable living pods. It was dismantled in 2022.

In the densely packed Tokyo neighborhood of Shinbashi, one building stands out from all the others: the 13-story Nakagin Capsule Tower, completed in 1972. Its two stacks of small metal capsules ...