Awaji Yumebutai - Water Temple - Access for Awaji Island

How to go there? At first I also confused since no train service offer for Awaji Island, while in Japan you can feel at ease travelling because the feeling of "you can easily reach anywhere thanks to train services".But actually its also very easy to access eventho without train!

Awaji Island can be accessed by road-route or sea-route. But by ferry might be more expensive, more unconvinient and slower than by bus. The Awaji Island services bus starting from three points in Kobe. Shin-Kobe, Kobe-Sannomiya and Maeko. 

In the early of May, me and Tissa, UGM Arch's friend who doing internship at Kobe, with 2 housemates plus one Thai friend, went to Awaji from Sannomiya. Me from Osaka met Tissa at the bus station which provide bus for Awaji. The station is inside the building called MINT Kobe near Sannomiya Station. The service for Awaji is stop number 4. We need to bought the ticket first inside the station. Surprisingly, the round trip ticket was cheaper than one way, it was 1,600¥ for bus fare roundtrip Sannomiya- Awaji Yumebutai, while 930¥ for one way. Dont forget to ask the last service schedule of buses.

Here the schedule of buses : http://www.yumebutai.org/english/access/detail/time_maiko.html

Yuzy, Tissa, Me, Moke, Kan

90 mins on Bus from Sannomiya, we reach Yumebutai, right in front the hotel or resort of Yumebutai. After get off from the Bus its better to go to the hotel reception to ask about the awaji bus schedule (for water temple) and also bus schedule for going back to Sannomiya. The hotel staff also provide an useful map for the visitor.

 

We strolling around the Yumebutai resort complex for almost 3 hours. As an architecture student i really satisfied with the place. I felt like i went to Tadao Ando design museum because its large area I felt a different touch of designs each section, the space experiences there was  awesome, i dont know how he can wonderfully connect such as many functions in a big area. Also still Ando-s characteristic of concrete and the grid are felt strongly there.

First we went to the chapel, which looks like Church of the Light but with different execution. Then the rooftop of chapel also very interesting. We saw the pond flooring with the hundred shells. 

The view to the park or sea and every corner of space there was photo worth-instagram worthy-until we became crazy and never stop saying "kimochii" which means good feeling, good atmosphere. 

Because we really felt so comfy even though it was so hot that day! No more to say and explain about Yumebutai - its just worth to visit, not only me but also non architecture student also admit it :D

Next, we went to Water Temple 本福寺水御堂 But, because we didn't ask before to the receptionist about Awaji city bus schedule, we just missed the bus and the next bus will be in next an hour. So, we decided to walk there. According to google maps only 2,5 km and can be reached in 30 mins, but actually we dont know how much time we spent to walk there :D because we were too tired we walked slowly and we also stopped by at beach there, play a bit~ so i also recommend you to walk to see the area of Awaji island that was really really quite! We found some abandoned buildings and shops, and old vending machine :.D But the scenery of the village, nature and beach was satisfied!

Then, we arrived at Water Temple! A bit different from my imagination, the temple is no as big as i thought. But the design, once again, well executed! The concrete and the nature blended as the concept of Ando's



Came down into the temple, RED is dominated. Very peaceful and calm, the water that put above as a roof insulation cooling the inside area. We let our Thai friend, Moke, to pray there and we also took a rest a bit inside there. Surprisingly, I met my senior from Architecture Handai but different labo there :p Hehe seems like the place we visited was totally Architectural trip, but my friends who non Architectural students also seems understand and can enjoy it! :d

Me Inside the Water Temple, and Me at Yumebutai

What we found along the way from Yumebutai-Water Temple.

May 1st.