ABSTRACT
Another factor in this building boom was that due to development economics and changing planning rules, buildings became more and more temporary in their occupation of a particular site, often being demolished to make way for new developments after only a few years. However, temporary buildings are also an integral part of Japanese culture. The essence of ascetic Shintoist philosophy which pervades Japanese existence is that it is not the permanent elements of life that are revered but the spiritual renewal represented in the periodic cycles of death and rebirth, destruction and recreation. Ancient revered temples such as the Shinto Ise Shrine are the equivalent of the great cathedrals of Western Christianity which were built to last for thousands of years. However, the Japanese Shinto shrines are carefully rebuilt to their original pattern every few decades.
