Sogetsu Kaikan ° Isamu Noguchi's Mountain Stones and Water Trees

Tokyo | Sogetsu Kaikan ° Isamu Noguchi's Mountain Stones and Water Trees 7 Chome-2-21 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-8505 🏷️Isamu Noguchi [Heaven] installation - Free admission 🪨 The Sogetsu Kaikan building was designed by Kenzo Tange. When construction was nearly complete, Isamu Noguchi was invited to create an indoor garden. Despite the sequence of architecture-first then installation, the [Heaven] installation interacts intimately with the building. The installation's "front" faces the landing of the spiral staircase, aligning perfectly with the overhead skylight. From the entrance, the elevated position prevents a full view of the installation - it's only revealed gradually as you ascend each flight of stairs. 🪨 Sogetsu Kaikan primarily serves as office space and hosts floral art events. The public areas are limited - unless you're passionate about floral art, the paid exhibition upstairs isn't worth visiting. The café provides a decent resting spot though the coffee is mediocre. Most public furniture in the hall comes from Knoll's Tulip series, whose tulip-inspired forms harmonize perfectly with the venue.