Ohiroba
The Ohiroba {grand square}, one of the largest in Hilo, contains tall gothic, neo-classical, and baroque stone facades of the city's elaborately crafted Guildhalls that tower above you on all sides immediately taking you back millennia. The square is situated half in the Civic Center ward and half in the Shiku Choson {municipal ward} where Aureate Boulevard {shiny golden} and 3-ban machi {3rd avenue} cross. There are several underground tunnels, pedestrian passageways, underground parking areas and a subway station under the square, so vehicular traffic is not interupted as Ohiroba is for pedestrian traffic only. Through the adornments of gilded and painted statues, grand domes, arches, vaults, intricate mosaics, ornate decorative elements, and elaborately carved symbols related to their crafts, professions, and trades the influence of the guild houses is very evident today. The first building to catch your eye is the cathedral-esque masterpiece of neo-gothic sandstone the Hotel de Ville {town hall}, the Hilo Guildhall and the headquarters of Hilo's Guild Syndic. Its octagonal belfry spires tower over the geometric patterned cobblestone square with its fountains, greenery, food stalls, and umbrella covered outdoor dining areas. The spires are topped by bronze statues of a lion, an eagle, a dragon, and a nishikigoi in the four cardinal directions. As contrast the most modern building in the square, architecturally and stylistically speaking, is the glazer and glass guildhouse, an opaque and engraved textured glass building that reaches high to the coronal peaks of its steeply pitched roofs. The square holds many guilds (engineers, joiner, tanners, millwright, lift mechanic, steel-worker, smith, chef, baker, plumber, electrician, conductor, secretary, concierge, soldier, firefighter, constable, architect, lorry driver, heavy goods vehicle operator, storyteller, yujo, barger, dockworker, technician, teacher, doctor, lawyer, writer, machinist, tailor, pipefitter, weaver, drafter, brewer, seafarer, mason, welder etc.) with many more guildhouses spilling into the surrounding streets. The center of Ohiroba holds a bronze statue, a helical representation of the local star, by the artist Astrid Zydower, 'Our Star' (KH5467).
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