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It is said that Sofia Coppola Lost in translation (2003) is a Japanese film. Not because it is set in Tokyo (and briefly kyoto), but because immerses the viewer in uncertainty. From Scarlett Johansson’s pastel opening pastel opening pastel to the whisper of denunciation, unheard of, between her and Bill Murray, the film is visually stunning, but narratively elusive. I reviewed him, glass with sake of tasks in hand, after a three-week stay in Japan with my 10-year-old son. It happened to me that I would mistake Japan.
What we, with Western eyes, perceive as confusing, the Japanese simply accept it as coexistence. Ancient Shinto shrines next to the glowing tables: Why not? An Orange Orange fairy like the bride of Tokyo police: of course. And any city landscape damaged by a upper tag because Japan, despite its technological ability, does not bury its cables: two!
Our journey led us from Tokyo to Hiroshima through Kyoto, Osaka and Nara, and wherever we encountered contradictions: 100 incredible stores (only 50p for almost anything you can imagine!), Delight design temples, a decades Ramen store, annoying Neon Karaoke bars, futuristic shinks and fans. However, despite these obvious clashes, Japan’s deep -rooted assessment of aesthetics and handicrafts is undeniable. Of course this is what attracts me in place. I went this time without an agenda described in addition to a desire to look for relatively new parts of the Kyoto -based design studio studio.
Its founder, Tina Koyama, embodies the “contradictions” of Japan. As she says, “I grew up in Switzerland, where many people could not show the difference between China and Japan.” After a career in design and digital technology that led her to Silicon Valley, she returned to her roots with the mission to create a “bridge between the worlds: the artisans of Japan and the West”. Think that the stools turned outdated by local wood Hinoki and paper cordon, or elegant Shigaraki tables that use clay from one of Japan’s “six ancient ovens”-ceramic production areas designated as inheritance sites in Echizen, Setto, Tokoname, Shigaraki and Bizen.
Indeed, what generally distinguishes the Japanese craft from that of other countries is precisely this obvious anomaly, an embedded respect for the nature and centuries of history overlapped by Irreverence. Culture thrives in paradox and evolution, mixing the past and present, tradition and innovation, restriction and pleasure – where these forces meet are where magic occurs.
My theory is that such an approach stems with the traditional scenario, kanjiBased on Chinese characters who found their way to Japan about AD700. Has 2,136 “standard use kanji“And Japanese children should start teaching them from elementary school along with about 10,000 words of vocabulary. Wherever you walk to Japan you are surrounded by these golden, expressive, incomprehensible strokes unless, as my son, you are armed with a Beginner guide This helps to decipher them as paintings. For the creative mind, certainly these characters fire different synapses in the brain against those who are routinely activated in the West?
Koyama put this theory. “I imagine her meanings with layers encourage a way of thinking that moves beyond literally,” she says. “The act of writing itself requires concentration and discussion. Sure my children, I see it helps to develop excellent motor skills from a young age, which I feel translates into an increased sense of craftsmanship.”
Moreover, the fluidity of the Japanese language encourages a way of thinking that fully embraces uncertainty. KabukiFor example, the traditional form of theater relies on dramatic jumps of logic. As writer Pico Iyer observes The guide of a beginner for in Japan: “In Japan, the studied ambiguity is not about change, but allowing someone else to turn an opening note in a duet.” That someone, potentially, being you.
Japan refuses to match the western rails. Things are rarely either/or – more often both. From this point of view, could Nintendo originate everywhere other than Kyoto, the home of Geisha? Could the culture seeking phones are silent and conversations to withdraw on trains from respect for other passengers, also celebrate the deafening chaos of Pachkinko salons? Can Master Pokémon craftsmen interpret an exhibition at a mall? The answer is always yes, because in Japan, contradictions are not opposing forces – they are additional elements of a larger whole. In this way, Japan invites your participation than observation. Is why Lost in translation resonates so deeply. The film does not offer clear resolutions, rather it requires viewers – as the reader or visitor – to embrace the unknown. And doing so, allows space for interpretation, for the endless fascination that attracts so much to return. I’m already planning our next visit.
Essential reading
Convenience shop by Sayaka Murata
A wonderful induction for the world of conbA key element of Japanese life with one in every corner.
Day at the Morisaki Bookstore by Satoshi Yagisawa
Put in the Jamembōchō circle of Tokyo’s real life, a deeply atmospheric world of second -hand libraries.
Hidden Japan: Mirrors for the most interesting, most exciting place – and sometimes disturbing on the ground By William Spelten
A deep non-fiction immersion in the less popular aspects of Japan, exploring its traditions, subcultures and contradictions through the perspective of a stranger.
In praising the shadows b Yachirō tanizaki
A classic essay from 1933 exploring Japanese architecture, design and culture – and the beauty of imperfection. Dated but still annoying.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Epitomization of Japanese preaching for crazy narrative dances!
