Kyoto International Conference Center

The Kyoto International Conference Center (国立京都国際会館, Kokuritsu Kyōto Kokusai Kaikan), abbreviated as ICC Kyoto and previously called the Kyoto International Conference Hall, is a large conference facility located at Takaragaike, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The Kyoto Protocol was signed in this hall.

Annex Hall interior

The conference center at Takaragaike Park

Kyoto International Conference Center
国立京都国際会館
Show map of Kyoto city Show map of Japan
Former names	Kyoto International Conference Hall
Alternative names	Kokuritsu Kyōto Kokusai Kaikan
General information
Status	Completed
Type	conference facility
Architectural style	Metabolism
Location	Takaragaike, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Town or city	Kyoto
Country	Japan
Coordinates	35°03′40″N 135°46′59″E
Construction started	24 January 1964 (1964-01-24)
Completed	20 March 1966 (1966-03-20)
Opened	21 March 1966 (1966-03-21)
Renovated	1973, 1985, 1998
Grounds	156,000 m²
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Sachio Otani
Other designers	Isamu Kenmochi
Website
icckyoto.or.jp

The center was designed by architect Sachio Otani to an unusual hexagonal framework, resulting in few vertical walls or columns, and opened in 1966 with an addition in 1973. It is a rare remaining example of Metabolism in Japan (the newer and more famous Nakagin Capsule Tower Building^[1] was demolished in 2022^[update]).^{[2][needs update]} Today the total facility provides 156,000 m² of meeting space, and consists of the main Conference Hall with large meeting room (capacity 2,000) and a number of smaller rooms, an Annex Hall (capacity 1,500) and Event Hall, with the Grand Prince Hotel Kyoto nearby.^[3] Both Main Hall and Annex Hall are equipped with simultaneous interpreting facilities for 12 languages.^[4]

It is located north of downtown Kyoto, and may be reached via the Karasuma Line subway.^[5]

The complex is the location for the finale of John Frankenheimer's cult 1982 martial arts action film The Challenge, starring Scott Glenn and Toshiro Mifune. The complex also serves as the backdrop for a meeting between Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum) and Goro Tanaka (James Shigeta) in The Yakuza (1975).

Past events

• 1994 International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference
• 1997 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocol)
• 2003 World Water Forum

Access

Aerial photo

• Karasuma Line: Kokusaikaikan Station
• Kyoto City Bus: Kokusaikaikan Sta.
• Kyoto Bus: Kokusaikaikan-ekimae

References

1. "Architecture of ICC Kyoto". Archived from the original on 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
2. "Demolition of iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower begins in Tokyo". 12 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
3. "Our Rooms and Floor Guide". Archived from the original on 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
4. "Our Services". 23 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
5. "Getting To ICC Kyoto". Archived from the original on 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2018-06-17.

• R. Stephen Sennott, Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture, Taylor & Francis, 2003, page 739. ISBN 1-57958-433-0.