Sakaiminato Ferry Terminal

 

Sakaiminato Ferry Terminal is one of two ferry terminals serving the Oki Islands.

The other terminal is at Shichirui, not too far away.

Both terminals were designed by Shimane architect Shin Takamatsu, whose work I am quite fond of.

The first time I saw the Sakaiminato terminal it was from the other side of the channel, and I presumed it was some kind of silo buildings for cargo ships, with 5 large cylinders.

However, on the side of the building facing inland it has a quite different appearance with 7 narrow, triangular towers.

To quote the architect's own website concerning this building, " The original program was a ferry terminal, but it ended up being a dissipative collection of different public facilities scattered on the site without an integrated system. This overly morphological architecture is generated by our ambition to unite this dispersed arrangement with its inherited characteristic - the intensity of the form. Architecture in some cases may slightly outlive the system.

As well as the Shichirui Ferry Terminal, named Meteor Plaza, and this one, Takamatsu also designed the Nagasaki Minato Ferry Terminal.

If you click the Shin Takamatsu tag at the bottom of the post you will see all the other posts I have done so far on his work. My favorite is one of the least seen, a religious chapel in the mountains.

The previous post was on the Yumeminato Pavillion.

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Inter Media Station

 

After finishing the second day of walking along the Sasaguri Pilgrimage, we headed back into Fukuoka for the night.

Living in a very rural place, the architecture of big cities is a delight for me.

We went to IMS, long name Inter Media Station, close to Tenjin station.

It is a multi-storey mall, primarily for shopping but also plenty of eateries and event spaces as well.

A litlle bit too pricey for me....though as a countyry hick I can marvel at the bright lights and shiny baubles..

The last three photos are not IMS, but the Daido building, a life insurance company, then the famous ACROS Fukuoka, and finally inside another mall in the Tenjin Station building...

The previous post was on the last temples of the day in Sasaguri.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts

Yumeminato Pavilion

 

Attached to the Yumeminato Tower in Sakaiminato, Tottori, is the Yumeminato Pavilion.

They are both remaining structures from an Expo that was held here in 1997.

In front of the pavillion are several sculptures. They take the form of metal boxes with holes in the shape of Yokai.

Sakaiminato is a Yokai capital in Japan as it is the birthplace of Mizuki Shigeru, a manga artist responsible for reviving many traditional yokai and for creating many ne yokai. Similar statues can be found in the Yumeminato park that runs from here down the coast a ways, and along Mizuki Shigeru Road.

When we visited on this trip, about 20 years ago, the lower floor was devoted to sales of souvenirs and local specialities

On the upper floor was an exhibition that included a full size Mongolian yurt.

There was also a collection of national costumes of countries of East Asia available for visitors to try on and be photographed in.

I was unsure why the focus on Asia, but then I later learnt that a Japanese anthropologist who specialized in Iran and Mongolia and the Silk Road, was born near here.

Later I was to visit a large, but decaying, museum near here dedicated to him.

Yokai made their presence known a little around the building, but at that time I was more interested in the  geometry and light and shadow of the architecture.

The previous post in this series was on the Yumeminato Tower.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.

Honishibashi Residence & Gardens

 

Momen Kaido, Cotton Road, is a small historic district of Hirata that was once a bustling merchant area trading in cotton.

One of the oldest remaining houses is the Honishibashi Residence, the oldest part of which was built in 1750

The earthern-floored entrance foyer has a nice example of the local folk art, Isshiki Kazari.

As well as serving as the home and business premises, the Daimyo would stay here sometimes and so the inner parlour was used as his official reception room.

The gardens were constructed in the early Meiji Period.

The Sou no Niwa, pictured above, is located to the east of the inner parlour. There is a small tea room that alsolook out onto it.

The main garden, the Gyo no Niwa, is located to the west of the inner parlour.

Not surprisingly, it is an Izumo-style garden. The large stone is said to have been a gift from local fishermen after the Ishibashi family paid for the construction of a tunnel that greatly aided the fishermen

I visited in June and so caught the last of the azalea blossoms...

The previous post in this series on the delights of Matsu and Izumo focused on the views from Matsue's tallest building.

if you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.