In the picturesque city of Kyoto, the historic Kiyomizu-dera stands as a testament to ancient Japanese architectural techniques. Captured in this image from their official website, the temple is renowned for its construction without the use of a single nail, showcasing remarkable earthquake resistance.
Turning our attention to the Osaka Expo 2025, the budget for the Grand Ring is an astonishing 36 billion yen. Dividing this by the ring’s circumference:
2 km / 360 = 5 m
This equates to approximately 0.1 billion yen per 5 meters of the ring. However, architectural experts, after evaluating the costs of wood, concrete, and labor, estimate the market price for such a structure in Japan to be around 9 to 10 billion yen. Adding a 20% markup and a 10% consumption tax, with the involvement of five intermediary companies, the calculations seem to align perfectly.
Concerns arise with the use of raw wood, which is vulnerable to rain damage. Even a single month of Japan’s rainy season in June can significantly wear down the wood, necessitating protective coatings.
Interestingly, the nail-free construction of Kiyomizu-dera is not only a hallmark of traditional craftsmanship but also a strategy to prevent rusting of metal components. Conversely, for the Grand Ring of the Expo, the wooden joints seem to incorporate metal fastenings, deviating from the purely traditional methods.
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