Kyoto International Conference Center
The Kyoto International Conference Center, abbreviated as ICC Kyoto and previously called the Kyoto International Conference Hall, is a large conference facility located at Takaragaike, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The Kyoto Protocol was signed in this hall.
The center was designed by architect Sachio Otani to an unusual hexagonal framework, resulting in few vertical walls or columns, and opened in 1966 with an addition in 1973. It is a rare remaining example of Metabolism in Japan. Today the total facility provides 156,000 m² of meeting space, and consists of the main Conference Hall with large meeting room and a number of smaller rooms, an Annex Hall and Event Hall, with The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike Hotel nearby. Both Main Hall and Annex Hall are equipped with simultaneous interpreting facilities for 12 languages.
It is located north of downtown Kyoto, and may be reached via the Karasuma Line subway.
In popular culture
- The complex is the location for the finale of John Frankenheimer's cult 1982 martial arts action film The Challenge, starring Scott Glenn and Toshiro Mifune.
- The complex also serves as the backdrop for a meeting between Harry Kilmer and Goro Tanaka in The Yakuza.
- An exterior shot of the complex is the location for the Kanemitsu World Headquarters in RoboCop 3.
Past events
- 1994 International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference
- 1997 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- 2003 World Water Forum
Access
- Karasuma Line: Kokusaikaikan Station
- Kyoto City Bus: Kokusaikaikan Sta.
- Kyoto Bus: Kokusaikaikan-ekimae