2024/04/22Comment by Helen Lardner M Arch, RAIA, MICOMOS AUSTRALIA, Architect, Director HLCD Pty Ltd

In March 2024, it was an immense pleasure to visit the Industrial Heritage Information Centre (IHIC) in Tokyo. I have been involved with the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution since 2009, well before their inscription on the World Heritage List in 2015. It has been a privilege to visit all of the sites, some of them several times. So, it was within this context that I was delighted to see the IHIC which is an extraordinary resource to tell the stories of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Meiji Industrial Sites.

Places included in the World Heritage List celebrate the shared history of people, their cultural values and achievements. Unfortunately, industrial heritage – which has impacted so strongly on our lives – is under-represented on the World Heritage List. The Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution are of immense value to Japan and globally. It is important to celebrate them and to introduce people to their significance in the IHIC.

The IHIC links all 23 component parts in 8 prefectures and provides a strong gateway to understanding the sites which may otherwise be difficult to visit in their entirety for Japanese people or international visitors. It would be hard for individual sites to provide the same level of context and strengthen the understanding of the relationships between sites in the manner of the IHIC.

The emergence of Japan as an industrial power and its importance in the history of global industrialization is impressively displayed at the IHIC. The combination of high technology displays, historic photographs and other documentary sources will encourage experts already working in industrial heritage and invite new audiences of all ages.

The Liquid Galaxy display was fantastic to watch and critical in that it widened the narrative to other industrial heritage sites in Japan and internationally, and beyond the period of importance of inscription. With the under representation of industrial places on the World Heritage List this is very valuable.

Essential aspects of the IHIC include the archives and research which support the interpretation of the Meiji Sites. It is important that the IHIC continues to further enrich our understanding of industrial heritage and its impact on our lives. I hope for continuing research and translation to more languages, plus an increased level of visitation at this wonderful resource.

 Helen Lardner M Arch, RAIA, MICOMOS, Architect, Director HLCD Pty Ltd