Illustrated Masterpiece Architecture Tour with Hiroshi Miyazawa & the Heritage Business Lab
Episode 5

What a great food report. When I hear something like that, I can't stop myself from trying. We ordered Napolitan at the cafe before touring the facility. The contrast of the room’s primary colors against the backdrop of the courtyard light became more vivid when I placed my cream soda (which also appeared in the TV drama) next to it. I felt satisfied after finishing all the food, but it was time to start my reporting duties.

The "TV drama" is "Meikenchiku de Chushoku wo.” Takao Nishizawa (of Heritage Business Lab, Sustainable Design Group, New Business Development Department, Nikken Sekkei Ltd), my guide for this series, is a bit confused when he hears the name of the drama. But as a drama-lover, I know it well. Allow me to explain.

Meikenchiku de Chushoku wo is a TV drama that aired 10 times from August to October 2020 on BS TV Tokyo and TV Osaka in the midnight slot. Each time, Chiaki Uekusa (Tomorowo Taguchi), who enjoys touring architecture, and Fuji Haruno (Eliza Ikeda), who dreams of someday opening a café, visit one architectural site, and the story slowly progresses in parallel. This facility was the setting for the ninth episode. The scene where Fuji, after one facility tour, dines on spaghetti Napolitan while saying, "I could eat Napolitan every day," left an impression.

Incidentally, besides this facility, the shooting sites were set at a variety of locations: Institut Français du Japon - Tokyo, Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, Beer Hall Lion Ginza 7-Chome, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Meguro City Office Complex, International House of Japan, Hilltop Hotel, Buaiso, the former residence of Jiro Shirasu, and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum.

And now we come to the main act, so to speak: the National Diet Library International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL). This facility consists of two buildings, the Brick Building and the Arch Building. The cafe is located on the first floor of the Brick Building.

The Brick Building was built in 1906 as the Imperial Library, and extended in 1929. After 70 years, the building underwent a major renovation with extensions. In May 2002, it was fully opened as the International Library of Children's Literature. The architect Tadao Ando participated in the renovation design, and the expansion was carried out according to the motif of two glass boxes penetrating the existing elder building, while leaving intact as much of its interior, exterior, and structure as possible. The building is seismically isolated against major earthquakes.

...... and so far, this is almost a copy of the facility's official website. Those who have seen the drama may be thinking, "I already knew that.”

So, here is the first piece of special information. The 2002 renovation was not solely Tadao Ando’s design, but a collaborative effort with Nikken Sekkei, Mr. Nishizawa’s company (although he was not directly involved in the project). The concept of two glass boxes penetrating the existing building belongs to Ando. However, Nikken Sekkei worked on enhancing building safety with seismic isolation technology and on reproducing the detailed interior and facades.

I believe even people who are knowledgeable about architecture would not know this second piece of special information. The original building, which was built in 1906 as the Imperial Library, is not just any old Western-style structure. Masamichi Kuru (1855-1914), the project architect, was a Meiji era Ministry of Education engineer. Kuru was a pioneer architect who received direct tutelage of Josiah Conder, a famous foreign architect employed by the Japanese Ministry of Education, at the University of Tokyo.

As an engineer at the Ministry of Education, Kuru designed many educational facilities. Sogakudo of the Former Tokyo Music School (completed in 1890, designated as an Important Cultural Property), also designed by Kuru, is located near this facility. He was also responsible for "Ho-o-den (Phoenix Palace)," the Japanese pavilion at the 1893 Chicago World's Expo, which became globally influential.

The Phoenix Palace was a full-fledged Japanese architecture modeled after the Byodoin Phoenix Hall in Kyoto. A popular exhibit at the Expo, it had a great influence on foreign architects, one of the most famous of which was Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). Wright's "Prairie Style" design, which emphasizes horizontality, is said to have been influenced by the Phoenix Palace.

To understand the aim of the "The Great Heisei-era Renovation by Tadao Ando and Nikken Sekkei, it is helpful to understand the final form of the library for which Kuru and his team had aimed. The current form comprises only about one-third of the total original planned structure. In fact, it was supposed to be a huge building with a courtyard, as illustrated below.

Kuru was 38 when he designed the Phoenix Palace for the Chicago World's Expo. In his 50s when he took on the challenge of designing the Imperial Library, he must have been very enthusiastic about the project. However, due to the government's prioritization of the military and other factors, construction did not proceed as planned, and Phase 1 work of the Brick Building in 1906 was only one-fourth the size of the original plan. Kuru died in 1914 before Phase 2 work could begin.

Although the library did not collapse in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, it was severely damaged. In 1929, a reinforced concrete extension was built on the north side as part of the second phase of construction. This is what remains today.

As you can see from the original plan, the "main entrance" that Kuru and others had in mind was not built. Ando's idea for the Heisei-era renovation was to have two glass boxes penetrate the existing building, with one running diagonally from the street side of the first floor to the courtyard side. The other is a glass box that “floats in mid-air” on the third floor on the courtyard side, penetrating the 1929 extension.

The former glass box can be said to be a tribute to the main entrance that was never built. The diagonal axis leads visitors to the courtyard. On the courtyard side of the glass box is the café where we had our Napolitan meal. The Arch Building, which was added in 2015, has an arc to catch this diagonal axis.

The floating third floor glass box is a lounge overlooking the courtyard. This floor lies outside the existing exterior walls, so you can see the exterior tiles and decorations up close. Ms. Chie Fukui, Leader of the Public Relations Section of the Planning and Cooperation Division of the ILCL, showed us around. She said her favorite parts of the building are the glass alcove protruding from the hall on the third floor and the shortcake-like ceiling of the Gallery of Children's Literature on the second floor.

Even though it’s a wonderful facility, it is not as well known as other cultural facilities in Ueno. In addition to the fact that it is hard to see from the main street, many people may feel disconnected at its use as a children's library. Ms. Fukui, the PR section leader, said emphatically, "We would like people who don't have children to also come to the library. Indeed, the books lined up on the shelves are all ones that adults would find absorbing. Of course, admission is free. You can even use the cafe alone. In fact, along with being a children's library it may also be an adult hideaway.”

By the way, why did the producers of the TV drama choose Spaghetti Napolitan from the cafe menu? Was it because of its unpretentious appearance and nostalgic appeal?　No, I don't think it was solely that. I may be reading too much into it, but to me, this whole facility seems "Napolitan.”

As many Japanese people may know, Napolitan is not a dish with Italian origins. It was born in Japan by creator Shigetada Irie, a second-generation executive chef at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama. When he saw American soldiers eating spaghetti with salt, pepper and tomato ketchup, he concocted an arrangement and added it to his menu. A western-style restaurant in Yokohama adapted it into a "sticky ketchup" version, and it spread to similar eateries and coffee shops all over Japan.

The first brick library (the Imperial Library) designed by Masamichi Kuru was a full-fledged western-style building in the Renaissance style, and as such, "authentic pasta,”in a manner of speaking. In the Showa era (1926-1989), the library was extended and rearranged, and in the Heisei era (1989-2019), it was boldly rearranged to become a "Napolitan" building. If you eat Spaghetti Napolitan at the cafe in the ILCL courtyard while thinking about this......it may taste even more delicious.

National Diet Library International Library of Children's Literature
Location: 12-49 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Phase 1 completion: 1906
Original design: Masamichi Kuru, Hideo Mamizu, et al
Renovation of the entire Brick Building: 2002
Renovation design: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Renovation work: KONOIKE CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD.
Structure: Steel-reinforced brick for the Showa era portion; Reinforced concrete for extensions
Number of floors: one basement floor, three floors above ground
Total floor area: 6,671.63 square meters
Storage capacity: Approx. 400,000 volumes

Completion: 2015
Design: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Construction: The Zenitaka Corporation
Structure: Steel-framed reinforced concrete (partially steel and reinforced concrete)
Scale: Two floors below ground, three floors above ground
Total floor space: 6,184.11 square meters
Storage capacity: Approx. 650,000 volumes

Closed: Mondays, National Holidays (open May 5, Children's Day), year-end and New Year's holidays, every third Wednesday
Library hours: 9:30 - 17:00
Cafeteria hours: 9:30 - 16:00
Access: 10 min. walk from JR Ueno Station, Park Exit
Official website: https://www.kodomo.go.jp/english/