A tower inspired by... a drum

In many cases the modern Japanese architecture was inspired by the traditional one... but there are some cases where the inspiration comes even from non-architectural domains: that's the case with the spectacular gate from Kanazawa and the elegant Kobe Port Tower from today's photo.

Both these buildings are inspired by tsuzumi, a Japanese traditional drum shaped like a hourglass, with the heads connected by strings. And the Kobe Port Tower even reproduces the red color of the traditional strings...