Vanishing Japan author, architect and occasional Wallpaper* contributor Naomi Pollock has lived and worked in Japan for over three decades. As well as being close to the country’s dynamic and globally inspirational architecture scene, she’s also witnessed firsthand the cavalier approach Japan can have to its recent built heritage. This tome, her newest monograph, is an impressive chronicle of works that were demolished before their time.
Fukuoka Sogo Bank Oita Branch, Arata Isozaki, Oita Prefecture, 1967-2007
There are a host of cultural and practical reasons why architecture appears more intangible in Japan than elsewhere, from the ever-evolving building codes designed to provide a modicum of protection against earthquakes, to the economic bubble of the late 80s that increased architectural variety but not utility, to the inherent love of the new and cultural acceptance of impermanence that shapes the country’s create vigour. 'The acquisition of the latest fashion, food, cars and other consumer goods is an endless and ongoing pursuit in Japan,' Pollock writes, noting that even feted works of architecture have succumbed.
Ohara Ryu Art Museum, Kiyoshi Seike, Hyogo Prefecture, 1970-2025
Many of those works are included here, around 90 examples of key buildings demolished in the 21st century. The vast majority of them were built in the decades following the war, although some even date from the 80s and 90s. Vanishing Japan is one of the first published recor1ds of these losses, which include works by some of the most acclaimed architects of recent years, including Arata Isozaki, Kazuyo Sejima, Riken Yamamoto, Fumihiko Maki and Kenzo Tange.
Hotel Beverly Tom, Minoru Takeyama, Hokkaido, 1973 - Unknown. The hotel was renamed as the Tomakomai Prince Hotel in 1978
Some works will be familiar, such as Kisho Kurokawa’s seminal Nakagin Capsule Tower, whilst others are more obscure, oftentimes a victim of the Metabolist ethos of interchangeability and modularity.
Gakushuin University Auditorium, Kunio Maekawa, Tokyo, 1960 - 2008
Naturally Tokyo and Osaka, with their rocketing land prices and constant churn get the most entries, but there are featured buildings from all over Japan, from hotels and office blocks to schools, theatres and city halls. Japanese architecture continues to provide an exemplary template for inventiveness and creativity, from the domestic design scene to major works. Vanishing Japan shows the flipside of this rapid, constant innovation.
'Vanishing Japan: Modern Architecture, Gone But Not Forgotten', Naomi Pollock, £35, ThamesandHudson.com