Landscape Works

I bought a book a couple of days ago.. its title is "Landscape Works".. yeah, title says all pretty much.. doesn't it?

This book introduces landscape works in Japan.. who designed, where it is, how it has done, etc... and it includes regional, urban and site designs.. so I thought it is a good book to check where I should go before I leave here. It has 27 cases.. so it is not that many, and some of them are very far from my place, so I won't even try to check everything out.

Anyway, I think it is a good chance for me to look landscape workds while I am here so.. I try my best! :)

Enoshima No.2

On top of Enoshima, there is some shrines.. it is one of them.. I think it is for money, but I am not sure.. it is called Enoshima Benzaiten.






This is a view from Top of Enoshima facing North.. my city, Kamakura, is further right side of this picture (well, can't see any detail though) Wish it was a nice day!






Found a nice spot to take a picture.. :)








The last picture.. yes, Earthquake = Tsunami!
RUN RUN!! but too bad this sign stands at the bottom of the island.. if you want to run away from it to the higher places, you have to climb up stairs A LOT! I mean.. A LOT, so good luck!

By the way, City Fujisawa... Refug needs E to be Refuge.

Enoshima

ok, so I haven't been updating my blog for a while sorry about that!
I decided not to work as full time this summer because I think it is my last chance to stay in Japan for this long.. so I rather see sites as many as I can for my future preference.

anyway, this time I went to "Enoshima" which is in the next city from where I live. (It takes only 1 hour to get there from my house.) This island has a couple of shrines on it, and it is a major siteseeing spot in the city, so I visited and see what I can see now with my 1 year landscape architecture experience.

The first one is the plan view (north down, yeah, i guess itis not that important in Japan, everything doesn't have north up!)


This is the closest station from Enoshima.. which is.. RED! I think it is too bright somehow.. I think the designer was imaging "Ryugu-jou" as a model (one of our fairy tales has a castle under the ocean (not in the sky! hehe) and it looks like this) since it is close to the ocean.. I don't know..




This is the island.. it was cloudy that day.. kinda sad because we can see Mt. Fuji from the tower! I climbed up the tower but couldn't see Mt. Fuji.. sad for me and for you!






There is a spa (or hot spring) building (they have a lot of bath tabs in the building so it is like a leisure center).. of course I didn't get in because they charge $30 to get in! but I was hanging outside since it is a new leisure center, they had "kind of" new plaza in front of the building.

Fountain, of course, was there. I didn't see fountain was changing its height but it seemed like there are lights underneath of wire netting.. I think this netting looks ugly though.. well, at least kids loved the fountain..


Lastly, this island has very uneven land.. so they have a lot of slopes and stairs.. I mean STAIRS EVERYWHERE. My friend and I went there because we ate too much for lunch, so we needed some exercise to digest, and we were walking there up and down for 3 hours.. we just follow the rout!! Anyway.. there is no way for "Universal Design" here.. there are some escalator but they are only for up, no down.. so yeah.. wheel chair people don't have access here.

I think Japan has that kind of problems everywhere because we live pretty much on volcano land.. Only some parts of Japan have flat land, but not entire land.. so we have to have steep slopes or stairs a lot.. my city, Kamakura, isn't an exception. We have narrow roads, and narrow side walks.. that is because my city is built at least year 1192... so base is there.. who thought about wheel chairs that time!?