Toyama | A Masterpiece of Architecture in a Small City Under the Snowy Mountains

Toyama Glass Art Museum, located on the south side of Toyama Station, is an eye-opening comprehensive building. ✅Exterior Design 🌟The 'TOYAMA KIRARI' building is the work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who advocates for architectural design to return to nature. 🌟The exterior, skillfully combining different materials such as granite, glass, and aluminum, creates a visually stunning sparkling facade, reminiscent of the ice-covered Tateyama Mountain Range in winter, grand and majestic. 🌟The facade shines brilliantly as it reflects sunlight from different angles. ✅Interior Design 🌟The building houses a library, glass art museum, restaurant, gallery, and a bank. 🌟Looking up from the second-floor atrium, you can see through the five-story space at a glance. ✅Architectural Features 🌟Cedar wood planks are arranged in a surrounding manner upwards, leaving a small blank space under the ceiling, allowing sunlight to pour down from the glass ceiling, making one feel as if they are in a bright forest. 🌟Similar designs by Kengo Kuma can be found in COEDA HOUSE café in Atami, Kenzo Tange Building in Paris, and the lobby of Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing. ✅Glass Exhibition 🌟Toyama was once home to many glass craftsmen, which is why the theme of the glass art museum exists. 🌟After viewing the exhibition, you can check out the works of current Toyama glass artists in the shop on the second floor. 📝Note Tips: 2F: Cafe & Shop. You can buy various Toyama-exclusive glass products, daily items, and souvenirs in the shop, but they are quite expensive. 3F-4F: Special & Permanent Exhibitions. Mainly displaying modern glass art collected by Toyama City, with exhibitions changing periodically, gathering various glass arts in one place. 6F: Glass Art Garden. Showcasing the spatial art works of modern glass art master Dale Chihuly. His works are free-spirited, dazzling, and create a colorful world constructed with glass.