Worth a Journey

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The World’s 100 Best Libraries

Toyama City Public Library

Toyama, Japan

  1. THE WORLD’S BEST LIBRARIES WORTH A JOURNEY · 2026 ✦ ✦ N° 83 2026
Toyama City Public Library

A public city library in the TOYAMA Kirari complex, designed by Kengo Kuma and built with Toyama cedar and glass. Visitors see a wood-lined atrium, open floors and a glass art museum in the same building.

Highlights

  • Central atrium with diagonal wood
  • Escalator view through the atrium
  • Glass art museum on upper floors

Good to know

  • Library entry is free
  • No free parking, coin lots nearby
  • Photos of museum artworks prohibited

Also in Japan

  1. Ishikawa Prefectural Library N° 18 Ishikawa Prefectural Library Kanazawa Public library
  2. Yusuhara Community Library N° 37 Yusuhara Community Library Yusuhara Public library
  3. Gifu Media Cosmos N° 53 Gifu Media Cosmos Gifu Public library
  4. Nakajima Library N° 69 Nakajima Library Akita University library
  5. Takeo City Library N° 78 Takeo City Library Takeo Public library
  6. Miyakonojo City Library N° 84 Miyakonojo City Library Miyakonojo Public library