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On a recent business trip to Tokyo, I took advantage of a Friday finish and extended my stay over the weekend to take a little time to discover the city.
A word you hear a lot when people are explaining Japanese culture to you is “contrast”. It’s in their architecture, their food, their interior design, their lifestyles. A black cup on a white saucer. Sushi, green tea and miso soup all at the same time. Youth disguised as teddy bears in a city park surrounded by ancient Japanese religious monuments. There are few blends here, and many stark contrasts. At first, there seems to be a sort of brutality to the juxtaposition of such completely different things, but you soon come to realise that the Japanese aesthetic is all about contrasts, and it’s really very elegant in its own way. In two days, I discovered plenty of these contrasts, and realised that they are for me a large part of what makes Tokyo such an extraordinary place to be. |
Archive for November, 2009
.- nomadic: Still in pain. Next lesson tomorrow. August 30, 2010
- nomadic: Kung Fu hurts the forearms. #obviousfactoftheday August 29, 2010
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