Awaji is a small island that sits between Honshu and Shikoku in Japan and is more famous than an island that small really should be. People around Japan know about Awaji’s famous Naruto whirlpools and it was also the epicentre to the devastating 1995 earthquake.
However, it is the architecture on this small island which makes it “world-class’. This is thanks to Japanese architect Tadao Ando. With his unique style of exposed cast-in-place concrete and the creative use of natural light, Awaji Yumebutai is really most impressive.
With over seventy acres of land, the whole of Awaji Yumebutai and its buildings were designed by Tadao Ando, making it one of his biggest and most impressive works.
The area includes large conference halls, a resort hotel, an an outside theatre, and the famous Hyakudanen, the 100 step garden. This comprises a group of 100 small square gardens on an incline, arranged in grids spread over several levels. The “hundred” refers to the number of mini-gardens and not the steps, as there are 1575 steps and 235 flights!
http://www.timescapes.it/stories/measure/sundial-on-awaji-island/
