Studying architecture in Japan has continued to extend my learning beyond the classroom. Traveling and experiencing spaces firsthand has become essential in understanding how architecture responds to culture, history, and landscape. Our excursion to Ehime Prefecture offered a unique opportunity to explore these relationships through a range of environments, from historic bathhouses to industrial landscapes embedded in mountains.
Throughout the trip, each location revealed a different way architecture interacts with its surroundings, ultimately expanding my understanding of how space is shaped not only by design, but by experience and time.
Our visit to Dogo Onsen introduced us to architecture that is deeply tied to tradition and ritual. Unlike contemporary buildings that often prioritize visual impact, Dogo Onsen emphasizes sequence, movement, and atmosphere.
As we moved through the space and surrounding streets, it became clear that the architecture is experienced through progression. Narrow pathways, layered interiors, and changes in level guide users through a series of transitions, reinforcing the ritual of bathing.
The materiality, primarily wood, softens the experience, creating warmth and continuity between interior and exterior spaces. The surrounding festival further activated the architecture. Events like mochi-throwing and street performances transformed the area into a dynamic public space, where architecture became a backdrop for social interaction rather than the focal point itself.
This experience demonstrated how architecture can shape behavior subtly, guiding movement and creating meaning through spatial sequence rather than form alone.
In contrast, our visit to Minetopia Besshi, often referred to as the “Machu Picchu of the East”, shifted our focus from ritual to landscape and infrastructure.
Located within the mountains, the remnants of the Besshi Copper Mine illustrate how industrial architecture can become integrated into its environment over time. The terraced structures, once used for mining operations, now blend into the surrounding forest, softened by vegetation and weathering.
Walking through the site and mine tunnels revealed a different understanding of architecture, one that is not static, but evolving. What was once a site of extraction and production has transformed into a space of reflection and education.
This experience emphasized that architecture is not only about creation, but also about adaptation and decay. The relationship between built form and nature becomes more apparent over time, as the landscape reclaims and redefines these structures.
Additional visits to Imabari Castle and the city of Matsuyama provided further contrast in spatial experience.
Imabari Castle, surrounded by water and open sky, highlighted a sense of horizontality and visibility. Unlike the embedded nature of the mining site, the castle’s design emphasizes defense through openness and clear sightlines, creating a strong visual relationship with its surroundings.
In Matsuyama, exploring the city independently allowed us to observe how architecture functions in everyday life. Streets, transportation systems, and commercial spaces contribute to a layered urban environment where architecture is less about singular objects and more about continuity and use.
These experiences reinforced the importance of scale, how architecture operates differently across individual buildings, landscapes, and entire cities.
Experiencing these sites within a single trip created a meaningful comparison between different architectural conditions:
- Dogo Onsen → architecture as ritual, sequence, and atmosphere
- Minetopia Besshi → architecture as landscape and memory
- Imabari & Matsuyama → architecture as openness and everyday life
Together, these environments demonstrated that architecture cannot be understood through form alone. It is shaped by cultural practices, environmental conditions, and the passage of time.
This trip reinforced an important realization:
architecture is not only designed it is experienced, adapted, and continuously redefined by its context.
This experience reinforced that architecture is best understood through direct engagement with place, culture, and landscape. From the ritual spaces of Dogo Onsen to the industrial terrain of Minetopia Besshi, each environment revealed how design is shaped by context and time. Studying abroad provided the opportunity to experience these relationships firsthand. Visit Temple’s Architecture Program in Japan to learn more about studying architecture abroad.