Kitano Alley (北野アレイ)

Kitano Alley was completed in 1977, the same year as the Rose Garden, which stands about fifty metres to the west and was Ando's first work in the Kitano district.

Since October 2023 the two buildings have been the main sites of KITANO THE MAGNET, a project that seeks to bring back the bustle of old to the street of the former foreign residents' houses: built around galleries, it also organises workshops and various art events.

The plot is narrow and elongated: the frontage on the street is narrow, but a wider space opens at the back. A tight passage, marked by a gate inscribed KITANO ALLEY, leads in; a quarter-circle vaulted roof and a gabled roof then come into view, above the exposed concrete that is a classic of Ando's work.

At the centre a triangular courtyard gives the whole an airy feel, and the shops of each level are arranged around it; going down the stairs, one finds oneself surrounded by premises on all four sides. Between the concrete walls, lanes and stairs vary the routes.

The levels house shops and, since 2023, KITANO THE MAGNET galleries: a gallery under the stairs, a glazed triangular space and a room suited to workshops, all usable for exhibitions and events.

The KITANO THE MAGNET galleries are free to enter; some events may charge. The project announces opening from 12:00 to 18:00, with irregular closing days, and gives the hours of each exhibition separately. The shops are working businesses: the rest of the building is seen from outside, except during events that open spaces normally closed.

There is no car park. The basement, the upper floors and the courtyard are hard to reach by wheelchair or with a pushchair.