Mountain Top Buddhism Kindergarten

This is not a temple but a kindergarten. This is a kindergarten designed for a temple with over 800 years of history. There is no cheerful looking design for children. The education of the kindergarten is based on the Buddhism. It is not a place for child caring but a place to train the children to be strong and decent. The kindergarten is not located in a tropical zone, the temperature can go down to a few degrees Celsius in winter. However, children spend time with bare feet even outdoors and half naked during good weather. The planning of the kindergarten is based on `Shinden Zukuri`. It is a traditional Japanese architecture style that is often applied in the training facilities of the temples. There is no internal corridor. The deep eave wrapping around the rooms is the only protection for the children in all four seasons. The corridor doesn't stop the wind and sometimes it gets wet. It is a practice to be a part of the natural environment. The changing temperature is the tool to forge the children. The structure is a completely modern timber structure based on rationality of the latest structural engineering. Yet, it is still derived from the wisdom of over a thousand year Japanese carpentry. The cantilever and long span of the structure resembles a series of traditional temples. `Hafu`, the triangular end of the pitched roof is designed for natural ventilation. There are still functional air conditioning units hidden under the floor, yet there is no need to use them during most of the seasons. The air flow, helped by gravity, is coming up from the sea following the steep slope of the mountain. There are many massive gargoyles along the eaves to convey rainwater into big round rain catches, which look like a well. These are designed as a tool to show children how does rain turn into water. The round-shaped pond is the swimming pool. Like a shallow dish or natural pond, water gets deeper from the edge to the center. There is no sharp edge. Children spontaneously find the depth which is appropriate for themselves. They learn to swim and how to prevent themselves from drowning. There is no difference between past and future. Latest technology and design are derived from tradition. While children represent continuity. This is where children grow in continuity.