What did Kengo Kuma design in Yusuhara?

Kuma designed the Yusuhara Town Office and Machi no Eki Yusuhara with its Marche Yusuhara hotel. He also designed the Kumo no Ue no Gallery, the town library and the YURURI Yusuhara welfare facility. His first building there, the Kumo no Ue no Hotel of 1994, closed in 2021 for rebuilding.

Why is Yusuhara connected to Kengo Kuma?

In the 1980s Kuma helped preserve Yusuhara-za, the town's prewar wooden theater. The project led to a series of commissions from the town over the next three decades.

How do I get to Yusuhara?

Drive about 90 minutes from central Kochi City or 60 minutes from Susaki-Higashi IC. By public transportation, take the JR Dosan Line to Susaki, then the Kochi Koryo Kotsu bus to Yusuhara.

Can you go inside the Kengo Kuma buildings in Yusuhara?

Yes, for most of them. The town office ground floor and the library are open to visitors, as are the gallery and the roadside station shop. YURURI Yusuhara can only be viewed from outside.

Is the Kumo no Ue no Hotel open?

The original hotel building closed in 2021 and the site has been cleared for a new building by Kuma. No reopening date has been confirmed, but the Marche Yusuhara annex in the town center takes guests.

How much time do I need in Yusuhara?

A few hours covers the Kuma buildings on foot. Stay overnight if you also want to visit the Shikoku Karst or walk part of the Dappan no Michi.

Kochi

The Architectural Town of Yusuhara

LocalityPolitical

Last updated Nov 8, 2026

Yusuhara is a small mountain town in the northwest of Kochi Prefecture, close to the Ehime border, known for a group of timber buildings by architect Kengo Kuma. About 3,300 people live here, and forest covers more than 90 percent of the town's land. Kuma's ties to Yusuhara began in the 1980s, when he worked to save the town's prewar wooden theater, Yusuhara-za. He has said the experience turned him toward wood as his main material.

His buildings line the main street and can all be seen on foot in a few hours. Most use local Yusuhara cedar, along with thatch and traditional joinery.

Kengo Kuma buildings in Yusuhara

Yusuhara Town Office (2006): the town hall, built from local cedar. The ground floor has a tea space for travelers, so visitors are welcome to step inside.
Machi no Eki Yusuhara (2010): a roadside station with a thatched facade. It has a shop for local products and Marche Yusuhara, a small hotel that is an annex of the Kumo no Ue no Hotel.
Kumo no Ue no Gallery (2010): a gallery built on a bridge-like frame of stacked timber beams, also called the Wooden Bridge Museum. It houses a small exhibition on Kuma's work.
Yusuhara Town Library, Kumo no Ue no Toshokan (2018): the best-known building, with timber pieces projecting from the ceiling and a bouldering wall. Conversation is allowed, so it works as a community space.
YURURI Yusuhara (2018): a welfare facility for residents. Only users may go inside, but the exterior can be viewed.

Yusuhara-za, the old playhouse that started the connection, still stands in town. The original Kumo no Ue no Hotel, Kuma's first building here from 1994, closed in 2021 and its site has been cleared for a new building. No reopening date has been confirmed. The tourism association's guide to the Kuma buildings lists the current status of each.

Other things to see in Yusuhara

At the end of the main street, a roofed wooden bridge leads to Mishima Shrine. Beside it runs part of the Dappan no Michi, the mountain route Sakamoto Ryoma took in 1862 when he fled the Tosa domain for Iyo and Choshu. The same route was used earlier that year by Yoshimura Torataro, whose restored home is at the Yoshimura Torataro Residence in Tsuno, on the road from Susaki.

Yusuhara is also the gateway to the Shikoku Karst highlands, a limestone plateau along the ridge with grassland walks and wide views. Its Tengu Highlands area is known for hiking and stargazing.

How to get to Yusuhara

Driving is the easiest way to reach Yusuhara. It takes about 90 minutes from Harimayabashi in central Kochi City and about 60 minutes from Susaki-Higashi IC on the Kochi Expressway.

Without a car, take the JR Dosan Line to Susaki Station, then a Kochi Koryo Kotsu bus on the Susaki to Yusuhara line. Buses are infrequent, so check the timetable before you go. A night at Marche Yusuhara in the town center lets you see the buildings without rushing. Yusuhara fits well into a slower road trip around Japan's quietest main island.