The Frank Lloyd Wright Connection

I'm working on a speech for my friend from Chicago for a Farewell Party tomorrow. As I was doing some online research on an interesting Chicago-Japan connection (namely, Frank Lloyd Wright), I made an interesting discovery. It is not unknown that FLW had connections to Japan (he designed the famous Imperial Hotel in Tokyo - which stood strong during the 1923 Tokyo earthquake - and is behind the Japanese-style buildings that were constructed for the World Fair in Chicago and still near the pier). I guess he actually built 12 buildings in in Japan in total, but I was surprised to discover that some of these buildings are located very close to where I live in Hyogo Prefecture. I guess what makes this cultural connection so extroidinary to me is that I am already a fan of FLW's architecture and form, and I find it interesting that he found inspiration in Japan at a time when most American architects looked to Europe for ideas. He apparently collected and mounted exhibitions of Japanese art, too.
Like contemporary Scandinavian architecture, FLW believed buildings should be in harmony with the natural environment and his lifelong-dream was to create "a world of sanctuaries and gardens, of earth and machines, of rivers, seas, mountains, and prairies, where grand architecture enables men to dwell nobly." He was such a talented soul. It's a style I feel very comfortable with.

Anyways, one of the homes he designed, the Yamamura House (now Yodoko Guest House) is in Ashiya, between Kobe and Osaka. I am not sure I would actually stay there since it's so close to my house, but I definately want to take a day-trip over sometime soon. In addition to catching up on reading (on the beach!) and working on grad school apps, I think I'll adopt exploring this facet of America & Japan's shared cultural heritage as another summer pet-hobby.