Wa-Kukan: A Selection of 100 Projects: Cool Japan: Stunning Space Designs from Modern Japan

The aim of the architects and designers presented in "Wa-Kukan" is to create stunning designs in harmony with their natural surroundings without denying background or culture; in essence, to create a new form while honoring the old. Of the 100 works collected here, seventy were chosen from entries submitted by the public, thirty are from invited architects. The results are magnificent. The Chingasaki Theatre in Japan incorporates reflecting aluminum panels in its traditional performing arts center; a contemporary mobile tea house is home to the ancient tea ceremony in a room composed of thin plastic strips, creating a strangely tranquil environment, and a sushi bar set in a thriving urban metropolis feels as if it were in the placid countryside. Each architect or designer is able to adapt a space, perfectly adopting the philosophy of Wa-Kukan harmoniously joining the ancient to the futuristic.