I lived nearby for almost three decades, and often passed it on the way to Hankyu Ashiyagawa Station, or a hike into the mountains. I clearly remember how for a very long time it was not getting the attention it deserved. It was a sad sight.
Visiting right after it was restored and opened to the public in the late 1980s was one of the more memorable experiences of my life. I covered major disasters like the tsunamis in Indonesia and Tohoku on the ground, so that is saying something.
It was just wonderful that an important historical building in Japan not only survived, but did so in such a beautifully restored state. Countless other beautiful buildings have been torn down since I arrived in 1982…
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Researching this article I read about how the building escaped demolition and felt very grateful. I can imagine it must have been moving to see it reopen at the time. I suppose it takes a lot of money for maintenance of these historic buildings but it's still sad when one gets torn down.
I'm glad this one is still here and hope it remains for a long time yet.
Yes, me too. It is a perfect location. I used to do hanami right below it along the Ashiyagawa river. You would look up and see the beautiful villa.
By the way, I noticed that your profile photo shows the view from the bridge across the Shukugawa river near Koroen Church. I used to take walks around there as well. It is a great place to relax, and the cherry blossom along the river is beautiful in spring.
There is nothing like it where I live now in Tokyo and I miss it.
Good spot! Yes, it’s one of my favourite places. I was very moved when I discovered its history and redevelopment. I wrote about the area in an older post here :) https://substack.com/home/post/p-150174782
Lovely to know about this, thank you for the writing. I’ve spent many days in Ashiya, and somehow never knew there was a Frank Lloyd Wright building right there! Definitely on my list now :-)
Good to see you write about this beautiful villa.
I lived nearby for almost three decades, and often passed it on the way to Hankyu Ashiyagawa Station, or a hike into the mountains. I clearly remember how for a very long time it was not getting the attention it deserved. It was a sad sight.
Visiting right after it was restored and opened to the public in the late 1980s was one of the more memorable experiences of my life. I covered major disasters like the tsunamis in Indonesia and Tohoku on the ground, so that is saying something.
It was just wonderful that an important historical building in Japan not only survived, but did so in such a beautifully restored state. Countless other beautiful buildings have been torn down since I arrived in 1982…
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Researching this article I read about how the building escaped demolition and felt very grateful. I can imagine it must have been moving to see it reopen at the time. I suppose it takes a lot of money for maintenance of these historic buildings but it's still sad when one gets torn down.
I'm glad this one is still here and hope it remains for a long time yet.
Yes, me too. It is a perfect location. I used to do hanami right below it along the Ashiyagawa river. You would look up and see the beautiful villa.
By the way, I noticed that your profile photo shows the view from the bridge across the Shukugawa river near Koroen Church. I used to take walks around there as well. It is a great place to relax, and the cherry blossom along the river is beautiful in spring.
There is nothing like it where I live now in Tokyo and I miss it.
Good spot! Yes, it’s one of my favourite places. I was very moved when I discovered its history and redevelopment. I wrote about the area in an older post here :) https://substack.com/home/post/p-150174782
Lovely to know about this, thank you for the writing. I’ve spent many days in Ashiya, and somehow never knew there was a Frank Lloyd Wright building right there! Definitely on my list now :-)
Thank you for your comment. I recently attended an event in Tokyo in Jiyu gakuen also designed by Wright and it was rather lovely.
https://jiyu.jp/
Thank you for reading again, I love your work! 😊
Another one for the Japan bucket list! Great Post!
Thank you for reading and commenting! I'm sure you would take some amazing photos there.