This building is part of a large and disparate UNESCO World Heritage Site called “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining.”
According to UNESCO’s description, “The site encompasses a series of twenty three component parts, mainly located in the southwest of Japan. It bears testimony to the rapid industrialization of the country from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century, through the development of the iron and steel industry, shipbuilding and coal mining. The site illustrates the process by which feudal Japan sought technology transfer from Europe and America from the middle of the 19th century and how this technology was adapted to the country’s needs and social traditions. The site testifies to what is considered to be the first successful transfer of Western industrialization to a non-Western nation.”
This building is known as the Foreign Spinning Engineers Residence on the outskirts of Kagoshima. Built in 1867 in a style that is mainly European with Japanese influences, it is hard to visit at the moment due to ongoing restoration and reconstruction of the surrounding roads.
To take this photo from a fast moving bus I put my camera into burst mode and manual focus, with auto everything else, and prayed. I was amazed by the results from Herr Leica.
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