Wonder Egg, Japan
Located in Banna Park on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, the Wonder Egg serves as a lookout tower for birdwatchers.
Banna Park is a sanctuary for more than 2,500 species of bird, and the building is an example of mimetic architecture – built to resemble a giant bird’s hatched egg.
The lookout has an egg-shaped entrance and camouflage patterns painted onto its exterior shell, so as to remain non-invasive and serve as a hideout for those observing and tracking the migration of wild birds.
Visitors can climb to the top, open level of the broken egg which offers impressive views across the island.
See more unusual buildings here.
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