In Japan, people think that water sometimes becomes a border to divide two different worlds. Kamo River, which runs through Kyoto City, also used to be thought as the border to separate the world for the living from that for the dead. There was a crematory in the area called
For centuries, humans have sought to cultivate havens of peace and tranquility. One captivating expression of this desire is found in the Japanese garden, a design tradition where nature is meticulously arranged to create a powerful healing experience. A Reflection of the Cosmos: Unveiling Buddhist Influences Beyond their undeniable beauty,
Repetition is not boring. It expands our imagination. This picture tells us so. When you see patterns in Japanese arts and architecture, forms of repeated element are often taken from organic figures such as a branch, a leaf, or a wave. Each element is simple and clean. When by itself, it is quiet and does not convey much.
At the beginning of “I AM A CAT” by Soseki Natsume, an abandoned cat crawled through a gap in a bumboo fence looking for some food. It found itself in a yard of someone’s home and said “How strangely the wheel of fortune turns! Had it not been this gap,
Accoording to Yoshida Kenko’s famous Essays in Idleness (: Tsurezuregusa), “On buidling a house, it should be designed to suit the summer. In winter, one can live anywhere.” Really? Now I live in Connecticut, I am a little hesitant to agree with him, especially “living anywhere in winter” part. We had some snow
