When we arrived in Yamagata it was already dark so we didn’t notice the buildings surrounding the station. We navigated to that blue beacon of hope for weary travellers, the Toyoko Inn. The king of budget businessmen hotels lit up the sky with their blue logo. Soon we were snuggled up in bed in the complimentary hotel pyama’s. Outside our dark windows lay the city of Yamagata, containing some of the drabbest architecture ever but also a couple of hidden gems, as we where to find out!
It was early the next morning when we ventured out after a complimentary Japanese breakfast prepared by the lovely elderly ladies at the Toyoko Inn. I swear I’m not sponsored by Toyoko Inn (unfortunately not!) I just really love them.
We walked towards the station and were immediately slapped in the face by the gigantic Kajo convention centre. This beast of a Socialist architectural monolith rose up next to the JR station. We did not expect a building this size to just casually exist here. The rest of Yamagata felt like a suburban commuter town. Not the place you would expect such a grandiose structure. Fun fact: on the 24th floor there is apparently a free obeservation deck! And whilst we love a good vista alas we did not check it out.
We carried on into town only to come to the conclusion that the rest of Yamagata was rather well…how to put this, a bit drab. I’m sorry Yamagata! You have an absolute winner of a mascotte and your cherries are deliscious but a pretty town you are not. Slightly disheartened we ventured back towards the station.
Lacking in architectural highlights we decided to visit Kajo Park for some natural relief. The park is on the grounds of the Yamagata castle ruins so it’s walled in and has a moat. After scampering up a little incline we were surprised to find a rather cool and slightly dilapidated building to our right, the Yamagata prefectural gymnasium.
Build from concrete slabs and crumbling stucco walls the outside had a geometric feel to it that almost lend it a Brutalist or Modernist look. The way walls where placed, with corridors and height levels, gave it a spacious and playful edge. Was it still in use? It honestly did not look like it at first.
We went around the building peering through a couple downstairs windows, there where definitely signs of live. A lonely janitor at the end of a hall. A small office with computers. But amongst these little pockets of normalcy we spotted some gorgeous vintage tiling and a pleasing mix of 1960’s modernist lines and angles in the long, quiet hallways.
Old chairs that would fetch a good price at any antique market stood gathering dust in the well designed concierge building. We went up to the only part of the 2nd floor that was open from the outside via the well worn steps that lead up to a sort of ticket cabin. Standing in the crumbling overpass walkway staring out over the actual castle ruins just outside we felt a stillness. This strange gymnasium felt like it was itself suspended in time.
Walking down we turned a corner and where met by a bunch of stray cats and some old ladies feeding them. The cats seemed pretty pleased with this situation.
The Yamagata prefectural gymnasium was built in 1966 hence the clear Modernist style it has. Due to the amount of concrete it also felt slightly DDR-ish. If it would have been built in Berlin a techno club would now be housed in it. Here in Yamagata it remains a space for sports and community.
I would love to know more about this building, it’s architect and the many gorgeous rooms it probably houses. But to be honest there isn’t much information to find. Sometimes you come across a building that just clicks for you. The lines, texture, materials. The way the space can envelope you in a warm embrace even though it’s errected out of cold stone. This strange gymnasium unexpectedly made it’s way to the top of my Yamagata list and I still think about it often.
It could well end up becoming a source for a new illustration.
Hannah
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