Small Buildings of Kyoto II
京都の小さなビル

Preface by John Einarsen

Small Buildings of Kyoto was born out of a project to document Kyoto’s unassuming, everyday architecture for Kyoto Journal’s Instagram page: a project that has now spanned several years, but one that seems to have enduring appeal, not just to myself as a photographer and long-term resident of Kyoto, but to our many followers and readers. It has been over a year since the Indiegogo campaign to produce the first volume and hand-bound limited edition—which attained its funding goal in just under one week, and went viral online—and the number of published photographs now exceeds 300, so it would seem timely to release this, the second volume of the series.

Like the first book, these images depict not the classic, postcard-worthy architecture of Kyoto’s renowned temples or polished teahouses, but the everyday buildings of the city. An urban historian could categorize them according to the era, the influence of international styles, and the economic means taken to build them. Some date from the prewar era and bear the signs of age. Others are strange hybrids of dissonant textures, materials and shapes. Others reveal the Japanese genius for creating elegant and graceful structures within limited space. Together they contribute to the urban fabric of the city of Kyoto that is so fascinating.