Page 37 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

WHAT WAS
METABOLISM?
Postwar reconstruction
efforts in Japan’s cities
spawned new ideas
about the future of
urban planning and
design. One of the most
important of these was
Metabolism. This
movement came about
during preparation for
the 1960 Tokyo World
Design Conference,
embraced the idea of
modern cities in flux –
constantly changing
and adapting to meet
the needs of their
residents. This called
for modular megastruc-
tures that could grow
The undulating exterior and shrink according
of Tokyo’s cutting-edge to necessity. Although
Yogogi National Gymnasium frustrated in their
desire to build Tokyo
Postwar Parks anew, Metabolist
Built for the 1964 Toyko Olympics, the Yoyogi National devotees, such as
Gymnasium in Yoyogi Park (p96) fused tradition with cutting- Kenzo Tange and Kisho
edge design, and symbolized the country’s rebirth after the dev - Kurokawa, exerted a
as tation of World War II. The architect Kenzo Tange also designed major influence on the
the Peace Memorial Museum in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial country’s architecture.
Park (p228). Along with the nearby A-Bomb Dome, it is an Check out Kurokawa’s
affecting memorial and symbol of peace. Join a community- Nakagin Capsule Tower

in Ginza (p106).
led architec tural walk of Hiroshima to understand how the
city has reconciled with its tragic past (oa-hiroshima.org).
Sacred Structures
Shrines and temples are some
of the most distinctive build-
ings in Japan. Common fea-
tures to look out for include
vermil ion torii gates, troughs
for ritual washing, and
shimenawa, the straw rope
with white zigzag paper strips
that marks the boundary
between the everyday and
spirit worlds. The Tosho-gu
shrine (p300) in Nikko sym-
bolizes the power of the
Tokugawa shogunate. Take
a two-week tour to hear an
expert unpack Japanese
religious architec ture (www.
architecturaladventures.org).

The five-story pagoda at
the entrance to Nikko ‘s
Tosho-gu Shrine

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