When I lived in Japan from 2003 to 2007, I was impressed by the juxtaposition of old and new. You saw it in traditions and costumes, for example the tea ceremony and the wearing of kimono, and you saw it quite dramatically in the architecture. Every major city had a castle dating back centuries nestled in a maze of automobile-jammed streets.
When you talk about old buildings where I live now, you're talking about pre-WWII construction. The buildings might have thick plaster walls, high ceilings, and ornate moldings but also might suffer from slow elevators and cranky elevator operators. Pre-war buildings have an aura of faded splendor. When touring a Japanese castle, despite the majestic views from its towers, I often thought how much it would suck to be under a siege. Different times.
I snapped a pic of a castle tower on the island of Shikoku, Japan, and one of the Flatiron Building in New York City. The Flatiron Building, pre-war and iconic, is as close as you'll get to a castle tower in my town. Still in use, it's updated with all the latest conveniences and safety features: optical fiber, maybe; archers' shooting ports, no.
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