Come see the real meaning of “Cool Japan” at Kengo Kuma’s stunning new work in Saitama, and the surrounding Sakura Town complex.

Part-museum, part-library, the visually amazing Kadokawa Culture Museum is a building so impressive that you’ll need to do a double-take. It’s one of the latest projects by superstar architect Kengo Kuma, who also helped design the New National Stadium in Tokyo. Made from around 20,000 pieces of irregular blocks of granite, the gigantic asymmetrical structure looks like a fantasy castle or headquarters straight out of science fiction. A fitting design for KADOKAWA, a manga company that conceived the project around the theme of “Imagination. Inspiration. Fantasy.” (Photo ©Kadokawa Culture Museum)

The facility is located in the larger Tokorozawa Sakura Town complex, which claims to be Japan’s largest base for promoting popular culture under the banner of “Cool Japan.” After paying their respects at the modernist Musashino Reiwa Shrine, a shrine to Cool Japan that Kuma also supervised the design of. There are also several restaurants and cafés where you can recharge, including Ramen Walker Kitchen, which host pop-ups from some of the best ramen stores across Japan. Keep an eye on the event schedule too. There are two halls and the Sennin Terrace, a large outdoor space that hosts food festivals and other events.