外観 and 景観: exterior appearance and scenery
Compare a building's or box's 外観 with the 景観 of a town, mountains, or a lake. Read what each word names, along with exterior and interior states, continuing preservation, and enjoyment of a view.
外観 names an object's appearance
外観, read がいかん, refers to exterior appearance. 「建物の外観は古いままですが、内部は改装されています。」 says the building's exterior remains old, but its interior was renovated. Different states are described for the outside and the inside.
「箱の外観だけでは中身を判断できません。」 says you cannot judge the contents from the box's appearance alone. The object described by 外観 is the box. The sentence does not identify damage or establish the quality of its contents.
景観 names the scenery being viewed
景観, read けいかん, refers to scenery or a landscape. 「古い町並みの景観を守る活動が続いている。」 says efforts to preserve the old townscape are continuing. What continues is the preservation activity.
「展望台から山と湖の景観を楽しんだ。」 says the view of the mountains and lake was enjoyed from the observation deck. Both the old townscape and this natural view are named with 景観, so the examples do not restrict it to nature.
Identify what is being named
The building and box examples focus on an individual object's outward appearance. The town, mountains, and lake examples focus on scenery. The presence of a building alone does not settle the choice; identify the appearance or view that the sentence names.
An old 外観 does not establish an old interior. Continuing efforts to protect a 景観 do not establish that preservation is complete. First distinguish the object named, then read the state or action attached to it.
What does 外観 emphasize for the building and box, and what does 景観 emphasize for the town, mountains, and lake?
Show the answer and why
外観 emphasizes the outward appearance of the individual building or box. 景観 emphasizes the scenery formed by a town or the mountains and lake. The appearance alone does not establish the building's interior condition or the box's contents.