Revitalizing Onomichi: Architecture, Community, Territory

Onomichi is a port city in Hiroshima Prefecture in the western part of Japan with a history of ship building. It was one of the locations in Ozu's 1953 film, Tokyo Story as well as the 2016 video game Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.

The studio will travel to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Onomichi to learn about Japanese architecture and culture and to select a series of individual project sites in Onomichi. Our aim will be to use architecture as a means for the transformation of the city through a series of multi-scalar interventions.

The studio will meet twice a week and will investigate the role of architecture outside the major metropolitan areas of Japan- and between nature and the sea.

The studio is open to all students with a background in architecture interested in design speculations. The project is part of the larger Japanstory research initiative and will result in a publication of the work of the studio.