OCTOBER 28TH 2014

SHODEN-JI, KYOTO

JAPAN IS UNIQUE

JAPAN IS DIFFERENT

VERY DIFFERENT

MAP OF JAPAN

Nature in

Japan • 75% of the territory is

steep mountains densely

forested with abundant

water and unpopulated

• 118 active vulcanoes

• Frequent natural disasters:

typhoons, earthquakes,

tsunamis,extreme

temperatures and heavy

rains

The importance of

Nature

Ancestral cults of

iwa-kura (sacred

stones) and kami-ike

(sacred ponds)

Imparmanence: day,

night, seasons,

death

SHINTO: 80% OF THE POPULATION AND 100 000

SHRINES

MAP OF JAPAN

JAPANESE CULTURE

• VI th century: Buddhism & Chinese culture imported into Japan; Geomancy;

Confuncionism

• C. 1000 “Genji Monogatari” by Murasaki Shikibu

• XI th century: “Sakuteiki” – book of gardening

• XIII th century: Zen Buddhism

• XIV th century: Ink painting; shoin architecture; Noh (Zeami);

• XVI th century: Wabi tea ceremony; contact with portuguese traders;

• XVII th century: Kabuki ; woodblock print; isolation of Japan till XIX th century (1862)

XXTH CENTURY: WESTERNIZATION OF JAPAN

SOME KEY CONCEPTS TO UNDERSTAND

THE JAPANESE CULTURE

• Ma – space; gap; pause; interval

• Mu – nothingness

• Fuzei – emotional response to Nature

• Impermanence

• Assimetry

• Deep reserve

• Simplicity

• Naturalness

RYOAN-JI, KYOTO (1499)

Imperial palace, Kyoto (1855) Shigemori Mirei house (1970)

LEARNING HOW TO PREPARE MATCHA TEA

A NIGHT IN A RYOKAN

JAPAN: MODERNITY IS INSPIRED IN TRADITION

TOURISM IN JAPAN

2013 total: 10, 363, 904

• Asia (China, Korea Taiwan): 8,115,789

• North America (USA, Canada) : 981,981

• Europe (UK, France, Germany): 904,132

2014 from Jan to Aug: an increase of 25,8%

Source: Japan National Tourism Organization

JAPANESE CULTURAL EXPORTS: BEAUTY

PAINTING

Sesshu (1420-1506) Hokusai (1760-1849)

ARCHITECTURE

Nanzen-ji, Kyoto (1611) Tadao Ando’s Benesse House (1995)

GARDENS

Ginkaku-ji, (c. 1480) Private house, Kyoto, XX th century

GASTRONOMY

CALIGRAPHY: KANJI; HIRAGANA; KATAGANA

IKEBANA AND BONSAI

Honmura, Naoshima

ZEN MEDITATION

D. T. Suzuki Museum, Kanazawa Contemplative space

POETRY

Haiku (Basho):

furu ike ya

kawazu tobikomu

mizu no oto

or (according to L. Hearn),

old pond

frogs jumped in

sound of water

LITERATURE

MANGA AND ANIME

COMPUTER GAMES

AND TO END ON A LIGHT NOTE…

LEARNING HOW TO MAKE WASHI PAPER

THANK YOU