MAEBASHI, Japan -- This small prefectural capital will likely be absent from most itineraries once Japan reopens its borders to tourists, except for a few who won't mind a short jaunt from Tokyo to experience the curious Shiroiya Hotel, a striking example of the country's brutally ugly 1970s architecture turned into art.
Once a prosperous world-class silk city, Maebashi, with its population of 335,000 in Gunma Prefecture, has devolved into a notch or two above a sleepy town. Even so, for anyone with a keen eye for modern architecture and art, the hotel -- which reopened in December 2020 -- is well worth the visit.
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