kengo kuma's 'kiki's museum of literature' soon to open in tokyo

UPDATE: Kengo Kuma has announced that its Edogawa City Eiko Kadono Museum of Children’s Literature, also known as the ‘Kiki’s Museum of Literature,’ will open to the public on November 3rd, 2023. New images have been captured of the village-like structure and its playful interiors as it nears completion.

kengo kuma unveils ‘kiki’s museum of literature’

In honor of author Eiko Kadono, Kengo Kuma and Associates designs a hilltop museum for children‘s literature. Defined by its playful geometries finished in pink and white, the museum overlooks Nagisa Park in Edogawa City, Tokyo. The design team expects the building to open by the summer of 2023, at which point visitors in Japan across all ages will be invited to experience the world of Eiko Kadono, who famously authored ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service,’ a story which, in 1989, inspired Studio Ghibli’s film adaptation directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

images courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates © Kiki’s Museum of Literature

inspired by the worlds of eiko kadono

Kengo Kuma and Associates draws influence from the fictional works of Eiko Kadono in the design of the children’s literature museum in Edogawa City. The architecture of the new cultural space will echo the atmosphere of the fictional town illustrated in the author’s best-selling novel. The design team explains: ‘We thought the architecture would be designed starting with small units, like the little houses that often appear in the stories of Kadono.’ These small boxes will follow the gentle slope of the hill, and will be enclosed with wide, projecting roofs that lightly reach outward ‘like blooming flowers.’ Follow the development of the project on the museum’s official Instagram.

clustered boxes will echo the fictional town illustrated in Eiko Kadono’s Kiki’s Delivery Service
the museum is designed in honor of author Eiko Kadono
a third floor café overlooks the Old Edogawa River

a library of ‘home-style’ bookshelves showcases children’s books personally selected by Eiko Kadono

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visualizations by Shoki An, © Kengo kuma and Associates

visualizations by Shoki An, © Kengo kuma and Associates

visualizations by Shoki An, © Kengo kuma and Associates

first floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

project info:

project title: Eiko Kadono Children’s Literature Museum (Kiki’s Museum of Literature) | @edogawacity_kadonoeiko

architecture: Kengo Kuma and Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Edogawa City, Tokyo, Japan

project team: Minoru Yokoo, Kenji Miyahara, Keisuke Narisawa, Rina Suzuki, Kohyoh Yang, Shiho Yoo, Hugo Poveda, Sayaka Shimizu

structure design: Ejiri Engineers

MEP design: Kankyo Engineering

landscape design: CROSS・POINT

display design: Nomura Co., Ltd.

built area: 1,600 square meters (17,220 square feet)

expected completion: November 2023

visualizations: Shoki An, © Kengo kuma and Associates