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World-renowned architect Kengo Kuma designs more than just buildings—his works serve as places where the past and present connect, and where visitors can experience Japan's history through a contemporary lens. We visited some of his most iconic projects in Tokyo, and learned the fascinating stories behind them from the man himself
Kengo Kuma has a dream to restore Tokyo's landscape to its former glory.
"Historically, Tokyo was a city of wooden buildings," he muses. "After the war, we began building with concrete and steel which destroyed the beautiful culture of wooden buildings, and the sense of intimacy they created."
Named by Time Magazine in 2021 as the world's most influential architect, Kuma is taking inspiration from Tokyo’s past to paint a landscape of the future. Known for his use of natural materials to create contemporary spaces that enrich the connection between architecture, the natural world and local communities.
Kuma's work is experiential. Each project carries its own identity and, according to the architect himself, is "alive"—continually transforming and evolving in different light and through unique interactions of visitors passing through.
Following Japan's easing of border restrictions, we met with the world-renowned architect and visited some of his most iconic buildings in Tokyo.
Creating a Future for Tokyo's Past
Many of Kuma's works serve not as relics, but as reminders of the past and why it’s crucial to protect it. Like the Meiji Jingu Museum, which was completed in 2019. In the building process, wood from trees felled during construction were used to make furniture and other elements inside the museum.
"The space was challenging, as it is in the forest," says Kuma. But rather than building against it, Kuma's design surrenders to the ancient woodlands that surround the sacred Meiji Jingu (Shinto shrine). "I wanted to make the building as low as possible, and in such a way that it disappears into the forest."
While the museum houses striking artefacts, including a carriage once used by Emperor Meiji dating back to the late 1800s, Kuma's design has turned the surrounding landscape into an exhibit in its own right. Large sections of the interior are deliberately left empty, with benches flanked by soaring windows that frame the stillness of the forest, presenting it a work of art.
"In the 20th century, to build something monumental was the goal for many architects," says Kuma. "But now, the goal is to blend in. To become one with the environment."