New Delhi. The month-long travelling exhibition “Built Environment: An Alternative Guide to Japan” at the Japan Foundation, New Delhi set out to evaluate constructions within Japan as the product of a dialogue between the historical background ansd the spatial context
The exhibition that was opened to public on March 16, introduces a total of 80 intriguing buildings, civil-engineering projects and landcsapes from fthe percepective of the built environments of 47 prefectures of Japan.
Kaoru Miyamoto, the director general of Japan Foundation, New Delhi inauguarated the exhibition by cutting the ribbon.
Satoshi Hachima, Professor, Chiba Institute of Technology and Shunsuke Kurata, Associate professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University interacted with the audience at the launch of the exhibition. They replied to the questions of the audience at length.
In the late 19th century, Japan was the first Asian country to undergo modernization. This led to rapid growth and guaranteed Japan a place among the world’s advanced nations, but it also created pollution and other crises. Today, many of these problems have been solved, and the focus has shifted
to reconstructing ecological environments. There is also a popular movement to turn modern industrial heritages into tourist resources.
This exhibition aims to examine how Japanese people have engaged and struggled with the natural environment, how they have carried on and created locality, and to introduce the trajectory of these efforts in each area.
Rather than merely considering aspects such as architecture, civil engineering, and landscapes in isolation, the exhibition approaches the subject from the unique perspective of built environments. To adequately convey the diverse nature of Japan, an effort has been made to select at least one site from each of the country’s 47 prefectures and to focus on as many different cities and regions as possible. The resulting exhibition promises to be a truly “alternative guide to Japan.”
