Modern Architecture of the Fukuoka Waterfront

 

On my second visit to the city of Fukuoka, many years ago,  I spent an afternoon photographing the architecture in the waterfront area stretching from Momochi to Hakata Port.

The Momochi district where I began is built on reclaimed land so everything is new.

Lots of apartments...

I previously posted  on the Fukuoka City Museum and the Fukuoka Tower in this area....

Mostly I have chosen photographs that are somewhat abstract and geometric, rather than showcasing the buildings as a whole.

This makes photos that resemble the kind of paintings I used to make 40 to 60 years ago...

The photo above is of the TNC Broadcasting Centre next to the Fukuoka Tower. The previous photo is of the Fukuoka City Library.

Below is one of the corner entrances of an otherwise non-descript office building, the NCB Seaside Building.

I think it may now have a different colour-scheme...

The photo above is not actually architecture, rather a view of a very large public sculpture. Not far away is the unusual Twins Momochi.

Across the river these two shots are of what was called the Yahoo Dome when I was there. Now it is called the Mizuho PayPay Dome.

Next door is the Seahawk Hotel which I covered in 2 posts, one on the main hotel, and the second on the impressive atrium.

Just inland from the dome is a huge shopping mall, itself an ugly concrete box, but the movie theatre had some nice decoration.

Next I headed up towards the port area of Hakata.

I posted earlier on the Hakata Port Tower.

A nice water reflection can make any architecture look interesting... below an unusual angle and crop of the Sun Palace Hotel...

And then a short walk upriver towards my hotel, and I couldn't refuse this shot that presented itself.

The previous post in the series was on Marine Messe Fukuoka.

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Marine Messe Fukuoka

The Marine Messe is located on the waterfront in Hakata, close to the Hakata Port Tower.

It is an exhibition space, conference center, and a sports arena.

It was opened in 1995 and was designed by Nihon Sekkei.

It is the largest indoor multi-purpose facility in the prefecture.

For concerts it can accommodate audiences up to 15,000

The previous post in this series on the modern architecture of Fukuoka was on the nearby Hakata Port Tower 

Hakata Port Tower

This was originally known as the Fukuoka Tower, but was renamed Hakata Port Tower when the new Fukuoka Tower was built.

It was built in 1964 and is 103 meters tall with an observation deck at 73 meters.

It was designed by Tachu Naito who designed many TV towers in Japan including Tokyo Tower.

He also designed the current Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka.

It's open every day of the year, and entrance to the observation deck with a decent 360 degree view is free.

There are several ferry terminals around the tower for local and long distance ferries as well as cruise ships, so various buses can be used to visit the tower.

Around the tower is Bayside Place with numerous shops and eateries and a free two-storey aquarium tank as well as a popular onsen nearby.

The previous post in this series on modern architecture of Fukuoka was on the atrium at the Seahawk Hotel.

Umi-Mori Art Museum

 

Many visitors to the World Heritage site of Miyajima are curious about the unusual piece of architecture they can see on the hillside of the mainland opposite Miyajima.

technically it is the Umi-Mori Art Museum, but in reality, it is the headquarters of some kind of "new religion".

The giant golden statues sitting atop the structure seem to be Buddhist, 

Founded in 1954, and called, I believe, Byodo Daieikai, it seems to be based on the Lotus Sutra.

I had read that the organization held quite a large and diverse collection of art, so I stopped in on my way to Miyajima.

I was quite disappointed as the only things on exhibit were the collection of perfume bottles,.... not of much interest to me,.... and some paintings by the early 20th century Nihonga painter Takeuchi Seiho,. which were ok.

I had hoped to see some of their Chinese prints and Ukiyo-e. I have heard that since I visited 11 years ago they have done some renovation work and now there are two floors of exhibition space as well as a restaurant and a balcony with great views of Miyajima, and a changing series of exhibitions.

Also finished since I visited is a promenade that features a wide variety of flowers year round,,,,

When I was there, an upper part, resembling a Chinese garden, was finished and pleasant enough.

The buildings draws a lot of indignation from foreign tourists visiting Miyajima, as it seems to interfere with their idea of what Japan should appear like.

However, to my mind, having such a building visible from Miyajima is very much a reflection of real  Japanese culture....

The previous post was on my walk here down the Ota River from Mitakidera.