About 1.5 hours drive northwest of Kochi city. Yusuhara Town, also known as “Kumo no Ueno Machi (The Town On The Clouds)”, sits in the mountains with abundant nature surrounded by Shikoku Karst; one of Japan’s three major karsts (or on the prefectural border with Ehime Prefecture).

This small town has a population of only 3,400 (* as of February 2021). Before the Covid-19 pandemic, not only Japanese tourists but also foreign tourists travel all the way to this town by rental car or large bus.

What’s the secret?

First off, in this small town, there are six buildings designed by Kengo Kuma, a world-renowned architect who designed the main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

The relationship between Kengo Kuma and Yusuhara Town dates back to 1992. At that time, he mainly designed concrete architecture, but he saw the old playhouse “Yusuhara-za”(which had been used as Kabuki-za in the past) when he visited this town for a reason.

The beauty of architecture with natural materials so impressed him so he changed his style to the current one that made him famous. It’s no exaggeration to say that this Yusuhara town is the origin of Kengo Kuma’s current style.

6 works by Kengo Kuma are gather in Yusuhara, making this whole town a museum; Kumo no Ueno Hotel (1996 * ), Yusuhara Town Hall (2006), Machi no Eki “Yusuhara” (2010), Kumo no Ueno Gallery (2010), YURURI Yusuhara (2018), and Yusuhara Community Library (2018).

In June 2020, “Kengo Kuma Exhibition” opened in “Kumo no Ueno Gallery“. The explanations of Kengo Kuma’s buildings and the model of the wooden structure used on the ceiling of “Yusuhara Community Library” called “Jigokugumi” are on display. The exhibition panels are available in English and an English-speaking guide can guide you through Yusuhara Town and the buildings (not free).

Besides this, the traditional Japanese papermaking experience is another attraction of this town. Tosa Washi is considered to be one of the three traditional Japanese papers along with Echizen and Mino and has been designated as a national traditional craft.

You can experience traditional Japanese papermaking in several places in Kochi. However, what makes “Washi Studio Kamikoya” in Yusuhara special is that the owner is Mr. Rogier Autenbogart (Dutch Japanese paper master) and the additive-free Japanese papermaking method (no chemicals are used from the stage of raw material cultivation).

Mr. Rogier moved to Kochi about 40 years ago (in 1981), and since then he has been making traditional Japanese paper and trying to spread its appeal. Kengo Kuma also found Mr. Rogier’s Japanese paper when he visited Yusuhara. He felt its warmth and decided to use it in the buildings he worked on.

Mr. Rogier speaks Japanese so you enjoy this activity without worrying about language. We are sure this experience will be unforgettable.

How about making your own Japanese paper as a memory of your trip to Kochi by using the flowers you can pick around Washi Studio Kamikoya? You can choose from several hours plan to several days plan (for tourists). In addition, the guest room (1 group per day) has a kitchen and barbecue stoves on the overlooking terrace, so you can enjoy cooking and barbecue and feel the nature of the satoyama landscape. Or relaxing in a room full of handmade Japanese paper is recommended as well.

If you visit this “Town On The Clouds”, you may have some fateful encounter, like Kengo Kuma and Mr. Rogier did.

▶Kengo Kuma Architecture in Yusuhara :

URL : https://visitkochijapan.com/en/see-and-do/10029

▶Washi Studio Kamikoya: 1678 Otado, Yusuhara Town, Takaoka District, Kochi Prefecture

URL : https://visitkochijapan.com/en/activities/10158

*Note: “Kumo no Ueno Hotel” will be closed for renovation from October 2021 to March 2024.