For over a decade Tokyo Fox has focused on the modern architecture of Tokyo with a long-running ten part series featuring over 100 interesting-looking buildings. During that time I have also taken photos of some unique structures outside of the capital city but had no place to showcase them until now. This is Volume 7 which includes some weird and wonderful buildings in the Aichi, Gifu and Shiga regions.

5. Mokichi Okada Research Institute MO Land @ 1523-4 Minamiyamadacho, Kusatsu, Shiga-ken – No surprises I guess that this sci-fi style building is a religious facility that is located close to the shores of Lake Biwa. Depending on which side you’re viewing it from, it has multiple appearances such as a UFO, a slice of cake or a pyramid! It is not open to the public unless you convert to this particular religious cult. 

4. Toyota Ohashi Bridge & Toyota Stadium @ Sengokucho, Toyota, Aichi-ken – This architectural wonder of a bridge with swooping white bannisters takes football fans (among others!) across the Yahagi River, and was designed to compliment the stadium next to it. Both structures were designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa.

3. Softopia Japan Center @ 4-1-7 Kagano, Ogaki, Gifu-ken – Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, this slightly avant-garde building has become something of a local landmark due to its two protruding towers which make it look like a robot or stag beetle depending on your point of view.

2. 138 Tower Park @ 21-3 Komyoji Urasaki Ichinomiya-Shi, Aichi-ken – This giant white construction is the tallest arch-style tower in Asia and it was built in honour of Ichinomiya City, and for those who don’t know 138 can be read in Japanese as ichi-(no)-mi-ya. The tower is also 138 metres tall and there is an observation deck 100 meters up (500 yen entrance) offering amazing 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding area including the peaks of the Japan Alps.

1. Tamadic Nagoya Building @ 2-15-25 Marunouchi, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi-ken – This building didn’t even exist in its present guise when I first drafted my Nagoya-specific post a few years ago. It was completed in 2022 and though the glass looks good it is of course the external staircase which is most eye-catching.

Click on the following links to see previous Modern Architecture Outside of Tokyo posts…

1. Hokkaido & Tōhoku   2. Tōhoku & Tochigi   3. Saitama, Chiba & Ibaraki   4. Kanagawa & Yamanashi   5. Shizuoka   6. Nagoya

Click on the following links to see previous Tokyo Modern Architecture posts…

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