Last weekend, our intern set his sights on the tourist hotspot Miajima, which is around thirteen hours by bus from Tokyo. He reports on the spectacular Toyokuni Shrine, a Buddhist temple, and the impressive yet depressing city of Hiroshima.
Everyday life in Tokyo makes you permanently ill, so it’s a welcome change to find time here and there to escape the mega-metropolis and gain other impressions of Japan. After visiting the city of Nikko and climbing Mount Fuji, I had set my sights on the tourist hotspot of Miajima.
Miajima is an island off the city of Hiroshima, about a thirteen-hour bus ride from Tokyo. Thirteen hours crammed into so-called relax chairs, which, thanks to my height, offered no relaxation whatsoever, let alone sleep.
After reaching Miajima Island by ferry, I fought my way through the crowds of tourists, past tempting-smelling food trucks and souvenir stores selling all kinds of junk, past Japanese people dressed up in samurai suits and traditional rickshaws, to the famous Tori Gate, the island’s landmark. However, this was not to be as spectacular as the adjacent “Toyokuni Shrine”, a Buddhist temple that was once planned to contain a library. The place had a calming aura that I have never felt in any building. The rich detail of the intricate roof construction, which fills the high roof space with shade. The floorboards that have been smoothed over the centuries, reflecting daylight into the building in a natural way. The generosity of the openings and the associated connection to the surrounding nature. The axial symmetry of the rough, woodworm-eaten tree trunks that support the roof. These are just some of the aspects that make this architecture so unique and from which we can learn a lot today.
In contrast to the previous day, the second day was rather rainy and foggy, which gave the atmosphere of the place something sublime and mysterious. The view from the summit of Mount Misen, which is sacred in the Japanese faith, was impressive. The haze rose over the forested surrounding mountains and the sea reflected the sunlight in the distance, while a moderate, sea-scented wind blew.
Hiroshima, on the other hand, is not exactly an attractive place, but how can you blame the city as it is still so young. The image is dominated by industry. The streets are overcrowded and the river that meanders through the city doesn’t exactly make a healthy impression either. Nevertheless, this place plays an important role in Japanese history, which is reflected in the numerous buildings and monuments dedicated to peace. These include the “Memorial Cathedral of World Peace”, the world-famous “Hiroshima Peace Memorial” (A Bomb Dome), the “Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum”, the “Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall”, the “Peace Flame”, the “Gates of Peace”, the “Hiroshima Pound of Peace”, the “Peace Bells” and the “Kids Peace Station”. The immense number of buildings seems exaggerated, but the fact that an event took place there, which is estimated to have cost the lives of up to 166,000 people, seems important to remember. The museum in particular, designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, shows in a very factual yet emotional way the consequences of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
The Baumeister Academy is supported by Graphisoft and BAU 2017
