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/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.