Korean Cultural Center, Tokyo

The Tokyo Korean Cultural Center (駐日韓国大使館 韓国文化院) is a Korean Cultural Center in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Supported by the Korean Ministry of Culture, this center offers Korean Language classes and promotes Korean culture in Japan through educational, sporting, entertainment, art, and trade events and through the promotion of tourism. The Tokyo Korea Center is one of many Korean Cultural Centers in different countries.

Activities
The Tokyo Korean Culture Center holds regular events and classes including: art fairs, dramas, movies, plays, cultural lectures, Korean music classes, Korean art classes, language classes, language exchange, and Korean language teacher training.

Architecture
The design concept for the center’s curved facade was derived from the image of a dancer’s flowing robes performing the traditional Seungmu dance. The façade is made of dual-layered glass and aluminum curtains. Due to the high occurrence of seismic activity, the center is a Seismic Isolated Structure. Some of the programmed spaces include: a library, digital media library, art gallery, cinema and stage, lecture spaces, classrooms, performing arts spaces, a madang or outdoor activities space, garden, and traditional fermented foods outdoor demonstration area.

The fourth floor is designed and constructed to resemble a hanok. The floor, walls, and ceiling are constructed using traditional wood joinery techniques while the floors are heated using an ondol system. The hanok consists of two rooms: a sarangbang which is the reception room located near the exterior and a daecheong or main room. The sarangbang opens out onto the madang and garden. A traditional giwa, tiled, roof was constructed on the exterior facade of the hanok.

The garden and madang comprise over half of the fourth floor’s space. The madang is a large graveled area where outdoor activities and meeting can take place. It is separated from the smaller garden area by a short wall capped in traditional tiles. Included in the garden is a fermented foods display area. Glazed dark brown earthen jars, of various sizes, are placed atop a large rectangular display block.