The traditional construction processes require both technical skills to design the building with consideration to its size, site and function, and aesthetic sense to select the lumber for the construction materials, cut and shape the wood, and assemble and interlock the separate wooden pieces without using nails, creating the so-called joints that withstand a millennium.

UNESCO: Culture

He added that the towers were in good condition, had no function, but were important to the aesthetic of the Holbeck area.

BBC: Holbeck's landmark towers in transfer deal

"The function of the sweet is to set the aesthetic stage for that particular event, " said New Jersey-based Marybeth Welch, who has been making wagashi by hand for more than 20 years and is one of few expert practitioners of that labor-intensive art in the States.

WSJ: The Sweet Way of Wagashi