By Jacob (Coby) Gould, Executive Director, The GrowHaus & Livingston Fellow, Class of 2014

The Livingston Fellowship Program provides advanced learning opportunities to promising nonprofit leaders who hold significant leadership roles in Colorado’s nonprofit sector. This innovative professional development program reflects our belief that no investment in the tangible assets of a nonprofit organization can equal an investment in its greatest asset—its leaders.

For a portion of my Livingston Fellowship, I chose to travel to Japan where I would study design, food, and sustainability.  As an island country with a rich history of isolationism, Japan boasts a long tradition of sustainable design and detailed craftsmanship, as well as some of the world’s healthiest (and most delicious) cuisine.

A two hour train ride west from Osaka are a series of islands that stretch from the main island of Honshu to the smallest of Japan’s main islands, Shikoku. One island in particular, Omishima, boasts six modern museums in addition to the ancient Oyamazumi Shrine, where warlords and pirates of the region prayed for success before setting out to sea. The museums and the exhibits within were constructed around the island to honor the more cultural aspects of Japanese life:

  • The Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture showcases a mix of architecture and traditional Japanese farming practices on the island.
  • The Tokoro Museum features a collection of contemporary sculptures, while the building itself fits effortlessly into the hillside, not distracting from landscape but enhancing its beauty.
  • The Mother and Child Monument elegantly houses statues by sculptor Ken Iwata that depict frozen scenes of intimate moments between mothers and their children, wrapped in a simple yet bold white cylinder of concrete on the grounds of a quiet old country school just off the island’s coast.
Remains of the Genbaku Domu, or Atomic Bomb Dome, in Hiroshima

Remains of the Genbaku Domu, or Atomic Bomb Dome, in Hiroshima

The way the architecture so gracefully complements and enhances the culture and landscape of the island demonstrates the role of design in placemaking, and highlights humanity’s relationship to our geography.

Yet, even with all of this remarkable architecture surrounding me, perhaps the most striking building I encountered was no longer much of a building at all. Just a short boat ride northwest to Hiroshima and we found the Genbaku Domu, or Atomic Bomb Dome. The Dome is the only structure left standing near the hypocenter of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945. Completed in 1915 as a large administrative building for the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the building, now mostly a skeleton of brick and steel, forms the primary landmark of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. And though it lacks the branding of a famous modern architect like the other buildings we visited, it tells a deeper story: the story of man’s ability to use design and creation for better, or for much, much worse. 

Other than the Genbaku Domu building, Hiroshima has been essentially entirely rebuilt since the bombing and was one of the most pleasant Japanese cities we visited. With rivers, bike paths, and parks zigzagging the cityscape, Hiroshima gives the feel of a charming European metropolis with a Japanese spirit. 

Stopping in a garden just north of the memorial park to relax, I reflected on the obvious contrast between the Hiroshima of today and the devastation of the past. Taking in the peaceful summer sunset, it was hard to fathom the tragedy that had occurred right where I sat, just decades ago. In that moment, my mind couldn’t help but to wander. I thought of all those places around the world that are still struggling for their chance to rebuild, and still struggling for the ability to move past the violence and suffering of today so they, too, can build their monuments to a pain that once was. And as I watched the sunset, I thought of all those children waiting for a time when they can watch the sunset from a garden as pleasant and safe as this one.

With this moment still etched in my head, I came home eager to continue my work to help build culture, build community, and build environments that provide for a better existence for all.