(TOP image) Toshihiko Kato, SS Co., Ltd.
Visit, see and feel the world of art
File.8 Yamato City Cultural Creation Center Sirius
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)
There is a banner that you can see while driving on the Tomei Expressway.
It is said to be "Japan's best library".
I went to ``Yamato City Cultural Creation Center Sirius'' with an exciting invitation.
Official name: Yamato City Cultural Creation Base.
A cultural complex centering on a library, arts and culture hall, lifelong learning center, and indoor children's plaza.
Rather than writing this all over again, it would be more appropriate to call him by his nickname "Sirius".
This is because the facility, which just opened on November 3, 2016, has a very stylish exterior. It's in a prime location, just a 3-minute walk from Yamato Station, where the Sotetsu Main Line and Odakyu Enoshima Line intersect, so it's easy to mistake it for a shopping mall.
When you enter through the front entrance, you'll notice that the coffee shop and library space are neatly arranged. The open atrium floor is bright and airy, and mothers with strollers come and go while chatting.
Is it really a shopping mall?
With that in mind, I picked up a nearby book and saw that it had a classification sticker on it, so I was convinced that it was definitely a library.
The library currently has a collection of approximately 410,000 books, so it is not a large library by any means. However, little by little, I began to understand why this place can be declared the ``best library in Japan.''
When I visited, books related to music and orchestras were featured in conjunction with information about concerts held in the main hall on weekends.
This type of complex project is said to be planned by Yamato Mirai, the designated manager and consortium that operates Sirius. For example, if you want to hold a rakugo performance in a hall, you can feature related books in the library, hold courses to deepen your understanding of rakugo in the lifelong learning center, and hold ``children's rakugo'' for children in the indoor children's plaza. And so on.
This is a wonderful initiative that was unlikely to happen.
This is the open shelf area on the second floor. On the other side of the atrium, there is also a paid space that can be used as a second office.
The book collection is spread out on each floor, so it may be difficult to find the book you're looking for. However, one of the joys of visiting a library is discovering new books while wandering around. In fact, you can catch glimpses of people wandering around with coffee in hand... That's right, you can drink drinks anywhere on Sirius.
The third floor is "Yamato Children's Country".
The Children's Library is stocked with picture books, picture-story shows, and more, and the bookshelves and chairs are all child-sized. The colors are colorful, so even the adults who watch it have fun.
*Photo: Toshihiko Kato, SS Co., Ltd.
The ``Genkikko Hiroba'' in the back is a play area for parents and children for children from 3 years old to the second year of elementary school. You can have active play with the popular playground equipment produced by Bornelund, so it's always crowded, even though there's a fee.
The ``Healthy City Library'' on the 4th floor is an area unique to Sirius.
First, the shelves in the ``Health Corner'' display a wide range of health-related books that go beyond general library classification. At the Health Terrace, classes are held every day on a variety of topics, from medical information to old-fashioned games, and there is also a Health Visualization Corner equipped with body composition monitors, bone health measuring devices, and more. There were also exhibits related to disaster prevention, and I felt that the theme of "health" was expanding.
What is surprising about Sirius is the number and variety of viewing seats. There are 915 seats in total, ranging from counter tables suitable for studying to sofas where you'll want to take a nap. This is what happens when you give form to the concept of a ``residential library.''
Whether you're a mother raising a child or an elderly person living alone, you'll feel like you can naturally find your place here.
*Photo: Toshihiko Kato, SS Co., Ltd.
The 5th floor has the most library-like scenery, with a reference counter where you can ask questions about research. Perhaps because the colors are so chic, even their demeanor becomes ``library-like'', which makes humans strange.
The 6th floor is the only floor without books. There are meeting rooms available to the public. At Plat Yamato, a civic interaction space where you can eat and drink, high school students were working on homework with friends while eating sweets.
In front of you is a terrace seat with a great view!
It's a bit cold in the winter, but I thought I'd like to relax here and read a book when it gets warmer. Along with a cold drink.
