The Edogawa Ward Office in Tokyo unveiled on Oct. 27 preliminary plans for the construction of a children's literary museum dedicated to author Eiko Kadono, perhaps best known for her story "Kiki's Delivery Service."
The museum is set to be constructed in the ward's Nagisa Park and open in July 2023 in an effort to preserve the worldview and achievements of her story for generations to come.
The Kengo Kuma and Associates architectural firm is working closely with Kadono, who grew up in the ward, to create a museum that fits her precise vision.
The preliminary designs show that the three-story building with 1,600-square-meters of floor space will feature a flower petal-shaped roof and small clusters of boxes made to look like the huts and homes that appear in Kadono's stories. The town of Koriko, the setting of her most famous work, is to be painted in her theme color of strawberry pink and filled with familiar characters ready to greet visitors at the museum's entrance.
The plans also included an exhibition room that is a reproduction of her studio and a reading area that will feature children's literature from across the world.
Edogawa Ward also has plans to expand Nagisa Park's pony pasture and turn it into a spot where visitors can enjoy viewing seasonal flowers.
Construction costs are estimated to be about 3 billion yen.
Kadono and Kuma remotely attended a press conference on Oct. 27 when the plans were unveiled.
"I wanted to see a world that would surprise visitors from the moment they walk in," Kadono said when asked why she was so intent on the strawberry pink color scheme. "I think my memories of growing up along the Edo River was a source of inspiration for me. I want to make this a place where all the children who come here can make discoveries, use their imagination and have adventures of their own."
Because the future site of the museum is on a gentle incline, Kuma said: "I wanted to make it so that the building blended in with the hill. I also wanted to make this a new type of literary museum where both the inside and outside form a sort of set. For example, visitors can enjoy Kadono's fantastical world inside and run around outside, experiencing the wonders of nature."
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