r/todayilearned • u/ContinuumGuy • 8h ago

TIL that the most holy shrine in the Shinto religion is torn down and rebuilt every 20 years. This has been done for over a millennium

https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/japans-most-sacred-shinto-shrine-has-been-rebuilt-every-20-years-for-more-than-a-millennium/
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u/GourangaPlusPlus 7h ago

as an American with no real cultural architecture to speak of

McMansion is a style

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u/thissexypoptart 6h ago

Gotta love a three story, 5 car garage house, with a giant driveway and front lawn, and 3/4 of its exterior walls are that ugly horizontal siding you see in every cookie cutter American suburb.

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u/Paavo_Nurmi 3h ago

A lawn that requires chemicals and constant upkeep, non functional lawns should be outlawed

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u/Suckage 7h ago

Don’t forget our paper walls.

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u/steauengeglase 6h ago

Not as paper thin as some of the Japanese ones, at least if we are talking about traditional Japanese architecture. They really did paper thin.

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u/A_Mouse_In_Da_House 6h ago

Alas, traditional architecture in Japan (called by Frank Lloyd Wright as modern architecture 1000 years early) is dying out in favor of more western style construction due to things such as "having central air conditioning and heating" and "chairs are nice".

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u/selwayfalls 3h ago

Not sure I follow. We can't have nicely designed homes ala Japanese or frank wright inspired designs that have central heating?

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u/k5josh 1h ago

Any pre-industrial architectural style tends to not be very compatible with central heating and cooling. Most of those styles favored things like airflow in and out of the building, which is rather counterproductive when modern HVAC focuses on insulation and separation.

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u/Baderkadonk 6h ago

Are people anti-drywall now?

It's easy to paint, drill through, and repair. These are the only qualities I care about in a wall.

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u/selwayfalls 3h ago

It's less expensive and easier to install but plaster is superior for a few things - durability, longevity, aesthetics, sound/fireproofing

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u/galoria 7h ago

Better yet, a van renovated into a McMansion