High in the mountains of southwest Japan, above a small town, there is an unlikely library. Yusuhara, is known as the “town above the clouds” and the home the Kumo-no-Ue  Library, which was designed by the renowned architect Kengo Kuma.

The ceiling of the library is a forest of cedar sourced from the nearby mountains. Large columns, like tree trunks, support the lattice work, sunlit interior.

Completed in 2018, the stunning library is a book-lover’s haven. Its airy structure is open to book-lovers and curious visitors, and glows with polished cedar surfaces. The ceiling looks like an upside down forest, with crisscrossing beams that create an interplay of light and shadow.

Visitors are asked to remove their shoes at door, much like one would do at home in Japan. The multiple levels and cunning little dioramas create an environment that encourages exploration. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own reading material and relax at the small cafe’ inside.

So how did this remote small town come to be home of such an illustrious architectural gem? Yusuhara’s former mayor happened to be good friends with the architect. Kuma was just starting to gain notoriety outside of Japan for his minimalist, concrete-based structures, and the mayor asked him to create a building for Yusuhara featuring locally sourced wood, as forestry was one of Yusuhara’s major industries. Kuma took up the challenge enthusiastically, and through the process came to discover the beauty of using natural materials, drawing inspiration from the local wooden kabuki theater. It is said that his time creating Yusuhara’s structures was a major turning point in his designs, which have since become famous for their abundant use of wood.