Past and Future Japanese Architecture
A visit to Takamatsu
After Yusuhara I went to Takamatsu which was backtracking abit on my general southern trip through Japan but couldn’t be helped. My primary reason for visiting Takamatsu was to visit a vine bridge at Shikoku Village museum. India is famous for two bridges made out of vines but Japan also has five that I know of. The one in Takamatsu is one of the more accessible ones because it is in an outdoor architecture museum.
As with all the structures in the museum the vine bridge was relocated from the remote Iya Valley in Tokushima Prefecture. It was reconstructed with steel cables, presumably for safety and because not all of the vines could be relocated.
While the vine bridge was exciting, the museum was also great to see many interiors of old houses. The tatami areas were off limits but the doma (earth floors) of the kitchens were generally opened to step inside.
There was also a decently sized waterfall and the fall colours were surprisingly great with blends of red, oranges, yellows and greens all together.
The Shikoku museum is to the east of Takamatsu and at the base of a small mountain. On a wim I decided to hike up to the mountain temple because I was in the area. The temple wasn’t that interesting but then I stumbled on this fantastic observatory building that just opened a few months ago. Originally I thought it was designed by SANAA but I later looked it up and found that it was designed by Takashi Suo, a former employee. This means that the next generation is emerging from SANAA which is exciting. Unlike in the west, the lineage of Japanese architects is well documented and easily traced from master to student under different schools of thought.
I thought it was cool that this mountain top observatory was a circular path and not fixed around a single lookout platform. This means that people who visit it don’t crowd around the viewpoint but spend time walking around it to the cafe, gallery, and theater. The floor also ramps up and down quite freely that adds to the experience.
I wasn’t all that excited by the wavy glass that was both distorting and annoyingly tinted but it was none the less fun to walk around and generally a well executed project despite some oddities. The doorways weren’t indicated, so you sort of tumbled outside, and because of the curvature of the glass I could hear an employee sweeping as if he were beside me while watching him from the otherside of the building.
Takamatsu also has a well known garden called Ritsurin Garden but I went at the wrong time of day. I didn’t really think it through but it’s at the base of a hill on the east side and I went late in the day so the sun was blocked. I really should have gone in the morning.
On the flip side, after I went to the garden I was biking home and passed the city hall. I’m proud that I’m getting better at recognizing the work of certain architects and knew at once this was a Tange Kenzo building. Designed in the mid century, it merges the international style with decidely Japanese traditional features. For example, the layout has a central elevator and stairs but the structure, built of concrete, appears like the traditional Japanese post and beam construction. There’s a wonderful park garden outside and on the interior a small display on the architect.
The building’s quite dated and could probably use a face lift but it still looks fantastic and is definately eye catching.
I also spent a day going to Marugame castle and Nakatsu Banshoen. The latter was also a nice Japanese garden but less beautiful under grey skies. It had a lot of stepping stones and bridges but the sky kinda darkened everything which is a shame.
