Our Favourites: Three exemplary kindergartens in Japan

 
First, we have a kindergarten in Okazaki, Central Japan with inviting playgrounds. Then there is the Toranoko Kindergarten with a view of Mount Fuji and finally an award-winning project in Tokyo.

Under the Hood: Kindergarten in Okazaki

The kindergarten of the Nara siblings in Okazaki in central Japan urgently needed an extension.”Demolish and rebuild” would have been an obvious option. However, Ma Yansong and his architecture studio MAD decided to leave the wooden skeleton of the previous building as a playhouse in the middle of the new daycare center.
 
 
Clients: Kentaro und Tamaki Nara
Architecture: MAD Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano, Dang Qun, Takahiro Yonezu, Yukan Yanagawa, Hiroki Fujino, Julian Sattler, Davide Signorato
Location: Okazaki (JP)

A large roof for a small kindergarten : TYO’s Toranoko Kindergarten

The expressive roof of the small Toranoko Kindergarden resembles a treetop.
The Kindergarten offers a spectacular view of the famous Mount Fuji. With very few residential buildings and farms in the neighborhood there is a peaceful and at the same time slightly melancholic mood. A new common room for the local residents was to be created. With the further development of the idea, a lounge and a children’s area were added.
 
 
Client: Seiko-kai
Architecture: TYO Takashige Yamashita Office
Location: Yamanashi prefecture(JP)
 

Moriyama-Prize 2017: An award-winning Kindergarten in Tokyo

The Fuji Kindergarten in Tokyo won over the jury of the Moriyama Prize in 2017. The award is primarily aimed at projects that focus on equality and social justice. The single-storey, oval building almost completely dispenses with physical barriers to promote the independence and socialization of the children.
 
Architecture: Tezuka Architects
Clients: Mikio Kato, Sekiichi Kato, Kumiko Kato
Project Leader: Takaharu Tezuka, Yui Tezuka