Hakone Open Air Museum

Hakone always seemed like a big tourist spot to me. Tourists to Japan visit Tokyo and then go on an excursion tour to Hakone. That often is the extent of their Japanese/Tokyo experience. There is a special train from Shinjuku which takes you directly to Hakone. It is located on the foothills of Mt Fuji and the attractions found there has Mt Fuji as its backdrop. There are Amusement parks, the Fuji's Safari Park, Ski Parks, Onsen parks - the Onsen park has different baths from red wine bath, macha bath, to different onsen settings Museums, Lake Ashinoko and the Pirate ship. Too touristy for me. Then a friend went here - and showed off photos of the place. It is wonderful. I would love to take the children here:

 

Caina shopping

For Jocelyn

For Me

For our house?

For Nathan

For the kitchen 

Chichu Art Museum

In our age and with our experience it is very difficult for a building to astonish us but this building did that to me. Twice I was stopped dead in my tracks – I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I am posting only the pictures from the brochure (you are not allowed in the building with a camera) but really this building is un-photograph-able. It is for this reason that I think it still relatively unknown. In our time architecture has become recognisable by the photograph, a single visual soundbite, but this building doesn't work like that at all.

Instead it is an experience though not a cheap experience, you don't feel like it's a game, or that you are being tricked, it really feels like a profound difficult statement. I am sure it represents the pinnacle of architectural achievement (is there a "gushing" smilie on ppb2?) and everyone should go and see it.

The only building which has come close to this for me was Corbousier's Notre Dame du haut (Ronchamp) but Ando's building is better.


Chichu Art Museum
Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation
3449-1 Naoshima, Kagawa 761-3110 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)87-892-3755
Fax: +81-(0)87-840-8285