Image of Quietness and of Japanese Space
What kind of images will you have in your mind when you hear the word, quiet? I have recently been reading the book “Quiet” by Susan Cain, which prompted me this question. My quick search of this word on Google Images showed me, as I thought it might, many images of Japanese landscape and architecture. […]
Cat’s Eye View of Japanese Architecture vol.4 – Exploring on the Roofs
Japanese townscapes are often referred to as “roofscapes”. When you look at a town from a hill top or a castle, you only see the tiled roofs, either as a mass or as waving lines. But that is not how cats see the roofs. Cats love jumping over gaps and climbing series of small height differences. Japanese […]
Longing for the Coming of Spring
What tells you the coming of spring? It really depends on person. I happened to see a robin near my house the other day. It definitely was a sign of spring coming. One of my favorites when I think of spring is Japanese apricot or Ume in Japanese (Prunus mume). Its flowers open up in […]
Cat’s Eye View of Japanese Architecture vol.3
If you want to find cats in Japan, you would have the best luck by going to shrines and temples. Why? There are two reasons: One is that the shrine and temple grounds are “public” places where nobody stops you to come in, even if you are a cat. In fact, they used to be the only public […]
Mystery in Japanese gardens
We had a chance to visit the Japanese garden at Pocantico Hills in Tarrytown, New York. The garden was originally designed by two Japanese, Mr. Ueda and Mr. Takahashi, in the property of John D. Rockefeller. In the 1960’s David Engel redesigned the garden when the garden was relocated. Mystery is an important keyword when designers […]
