Fascinated by the distinct architecture of Tokyo, Japan, and the city’s charming small shops and buildings, Christopher Robin Nordstrom decided to recreate them in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden. Not having the space or the resources to build them in real size, he settled for creating highly detailed miniatures.
Nordstrom tries to make his models as realistic as they can be despite the small scale. This means getting all the details correct, including window cracks, AC units, awnings, and washed-out lettering. While he does all sorts of different examples of Tokyo architecture, the artist’s favorite subjects are flower shops, police stations, small grocery shops, and hair salons.
According to Nordstrom, he got the idea for the project after visiting Tokyo in 2018. He wanted to find a relaxing hobby and was inspired by his father, who was an avid plane and train model maker.
“I (was) struck by all the small weather houses with amazing patina,” Nordstrom told Colossal. “Back in Stockholm, I was really tired of just ending up in front of Netflix each night.”
Nordstrom shares his creations on the Instagram page TokyoBuild, which has collected more than 100K followers in the past four years. Check some of them below.
