The Kadokawa Culture Museum, Designed by Kengo Kuma

Star architect Kengo Kuma set aside his material of choice, wood, to create the Kadokawa Culture Museum, situated in Tokorozawa Sakura Town in Saitama Prefecture, not far from Tokyo. 

The museum, which stands 40 metres high and has a surface area of 12,000 square metres, was constructed from 20,000 granite stones assembled in an asymmetrical arrangement, which gives the building the appearance of a monolith in a work of science fiction. The aim of this cultural complex is to bring together artistic disciplines like literature, anime, natural history, and fine arts in one place. 

Spotlight on popular culture

The museum contains a library dedicated to manga and short stories, a large exhibition space spread over more than 1000 square metres, an EJ (Entertainment Japan) animation museum devoted to anime culture with a wide range of books, films, games, and merchandise, and a curiosity cabinet. The most impressive part of the Kadokawa Culture Museum is, however, without doubt the library, with its shelves that stand eight metres high and contain 50,000 titles. 

For those coming from Tokyo for the day, a visit to the museum can be followed by a trip to Musashino Jurin Park, which houses a permanent digital art exhibition by the teamLab collective: Resonating Life in the Acorn Forest. 

More information about the Kadokawa Culture Museum can be found on its website.