day 15_Journey to Hiroshima

I have not spent much time in the resurrected city of Hiroshima, but the half an hour walk from the train station to the Peace Memorial Park revealed a city just like any other. In fact, it was really not that memorable. I am not going to go into a description of Hiroshima’s terrifying history and the truly remarkable rebirth, but there is one thing I would like to mention. During the train ride from Osaka to Hiroshima, I noticed a somewhat unique pattern of urban development which crystalized for me when the train reached Hiroshima. Ten to twelve-story massive structures were dispersed throughout a field of mostly residential houses or small businesses no more than two to three stories high. The tall structures densified within and around cities, but never formed a cohesive centralized area as one would expect. Rather, they always stood in isolation, provoking disquiet. The areas looked like cities in a perpetual state of becoming—but never quite there yet.

I can only assume that these repetitive ‘monsters’ are newer housing developments built within the last ten to twenty years. Even though some of these large structures could pass for social housing, most of them appeared to be in great condition, with exterior balconies and large windows.  From what I understand, Japan just does not have urban slums, such as those in India, Brazil, or even France. (After a quick search online I found out that the average lifespan of wooden houses in Japan is around twenty years, and concrete ones about thirty. The whole country seems to be in a constant state of renewal.)

Hiroshima:

day 13_Osaka

day 13_Osaka_Ando: Sayamaike Historical Museum

Seeing already two of Ando’s buildings before, I couldn’t pass the opportunity to visit his Sayamaike Museum, which is only half an hour or so from the center of Osaka, located next to the oldest manmade pond for irrigation in Japan – Sayamaike.

day 12_Osaka_another big train station

A good chunk of my time here in Japan has been spent in train stations, hoping in and out of the never-to-be-late trains, only to be carried away again into the city by relentless crowds.

day 11_Osaka_Ando: Church of the Light

The building is located on the outskirts of Osaka, in a peaceful residential area, removed from the hustle and bustle of crazy Osaka streets. One may not even notice it when passing by; only the signature concrete walls with grid-like pattern of circular holes give it away. Unlike the Museum of Fine Arts in Kyoto, which somewhat violently opens up to the street with its massive sheared walls, this structure is the complete opposite. The church is like a seashell, turning its plain back to the street while protecting the minimalist, yet complex exterior spaces that lie behind. The unseen complexity gradually reveals itself and is only fully realized after one circulates behind the building. I don’t think I quite understood from the photographs the complex nature of the spaces that lay within the structure.  One always sees images of the interior chapel, which is striking for sure, but the spatial intricacies of the exterior are just as powerful.  Stairs squeezed between two massive narrow walls that lead nowhere; a planar wall that seamlessly slips from the outside into the interior and then back out again; and the circular bench whose geometric curves highly contrast with the planarity and bareness of the surrounding walls. I remember reading recently what Ando once wrote:  “I have tried to create works that betray the expectations of the people who experience my spaces.” Well, he certainly betrayed mine.

day 10_Osaka_first impressions

I never stopped being fascinated by the elevated highways and rail tracks hovering above the city streets, sometimes creating very complex spatial networks right above one's head.

day 09_Kyoto_'mystery' buildings

Wandering through the historical part of Kyoto, I came across a few buildings that I was sure were designed by a Japanese architect, Shin Takamatsu. His earlier work from the 1990s is especially known for futuristic and bold imagery, and knowing that several of these projects were actually located in Kyoto, I assumed the unique structures were his. The bizarre, machine-like buildings are strangely anthropomorphic, and even though they stood out from the surrounding buildings, they somehow fit in very well with all the electrical wiring, hanging lanterns, and neon lights. However, after doing some more research on Takamatsu, I don't think he designed any of these three buildings (and I was unable to find out who actually did), so it remains a mystery.