When you pull into Kyoto, you could be forgiven for naively thinking that it’s just another industrial Japanese city. However, the city is actually full of some of the most incredible castles, temple and shrine you’ll ever see. You can turn corners and find yourself face to face with some of the largest wooden buildings… Continue reading City of the Sublime
Tag: culture
Repetition is the Key to…
One thing I’ve noticed about Japan is a love of repeating things/motifs. It’s everywhere as you’ll see from the photos below. Wen made an interesting comment – in a society where individualism is frowned upon, maybe this is how it’s displayed in design. Whether that’s true or not, it’s a great visual effect:
Notes on Japan
This country never ceases to fascinate. I’ve noticed many things on this trip; many too short to blog, so instead, here’s a stream of consciousness. 1. This country is obsessed with order, ritual and precision. Everyone wears a uniform. Security guards and cleaning staff are decked out head-to-toe in custom uniforms. The salarymen all wear… Continue reading Notes on Japan
Characters
They’ve been around for a long time – artists like Kuniyoshi used to put crazy animals in his drawings to get around censors: <insert image> More recently, they’ve been redone to be more kawaii , a term that loosely translates as ‘cute’. … 
Every single instructional sign should include at least one cute character if at all possible: 
This one’s just baffling: 
Cops have pretty characters for their dogs: 
And even your local bus has a character: 
Hell, you want some pork for dinner?
How to Drink Tea
Wen and I were exploring Hamarikyu-Teien garden and went into their oh-so-cute teahouse: Here’s the view from the other side: Inside it’s a traditional tea house; just tatami mats on the inside: They serve exactly one type of tea – green – available hot or cold. I had the hot, Wen had the cold: For… Continue reading How to Drink Tea