#18 The Sendai Mediatheque is a landmark within a landmark.

2014.09.30 住 - Homes

The Sendai Mediatheque is a landmark within a landmark. One of the last stops on theLoople Sendai tourist bus circuit, this Sendai icon is located on picturesque Jozenji Avenue under a canopy of zelkova trees. What makes the Mediatheque unique is its popularity with locals and tourists. Any day of the week you’ll find a crowd, but never too many to enjoy all the great facilities and the building itself.

While not a timeless piece of architecture such as SkyTree or Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion Kinkakuji, the Mediatheque still carves out a niche in the architectural world with its creativity. Toyo Ito was winner of the architectural design contest for the building in 1995. His idea became reality in 2001. The Mediatheque’s glass walls, near floating floors, and transparent elevator shafts demand a sense of awe. Ito’s vision was to create a barrier free environment and a sense of the limitless universe inside a limited space. We can see that idea explored through the building’s facilities.

Inside the Mediatheque are an abundance of resources to ‘break barriers’ and overcome challenges. There is a support center for the visually or hearing impaired, as well as an extensive library occupying two floors where you can break the barrier of ignorance through education. Perhaps most attractive to tourists are the exhibition rooms which more often than not include free art exhibits. I have seen photography, children art, paintings, and drawings on some of my visits. The Mediatheque also holds many events ranging from university and career recruiting, to a Cine Battle, a fast paced speech contest where contests must convince the crowd their movie choice is better than other contestants’ choices. There seems to always be something going on here.

Most visitors will probably spend less than 30 minutes at the Mediatheque, but it is something worth seeing in Sendai. Combined with a stroll along the lush avenue and maybe a side trip to a café or light lunch, admiring the outer and inner beauty of the Mediatheque should be on your next weekend’s agenda.

The Sendai Mediatheque

The Sendai Mediatheque is a landmark within a landmark.