Sunday, February 8, 2009

Japan - current impressions - a land of extremes

Japan can often seem to be a land of extreme polar opposites. These cultural extremes can often found in very close proximity to each other. This apparent polarization seems to be hardly a source of friction for Japanese, nor does it's existence seem to be particularly important nor noticed by Japanese people.

Below: starkly contrasting environments, less than an hour apart:
Congested, vibrant, and gaudy Nanba (Osaka)

Autumn leaves make a patchwork quilt of color in Kyoto, near Nanzenji

This may possibly largely foreign reaction to Japan, it is still a valid one and also can be useful as paradigm for exploring Japanese culture.
These distinct contrasts paint a picture of Japanese society as one in which a diverse and mature culture is well preserved, continually cultivated, and constantly evolving.
America, in comparison, seems to lack this quality. In spite of its relatively diverse ethnic population, typical American cultural motifs tend to evidence America to be a land of absolute cultural mediocrity.

More images:
A lightbulb dealer in Akihabara, Tokyo. Neon Lights in it's Osaka counterpart, Shinsaibashi.

More autumnal scenes in Kyoto.


Some more examples of polarization within Japanese culture:

extreme elegance vs. extreme vulgarity
(wabi-sabi vs. school girl rape porno comic books)

extreme austerity vs. the extremely gaudy
(black and white calligraphy vs. plastic cute encrusted everything)

extreme minimalism vs. extreme sensory overload
(the elegance of a Japanese style room (和室) vs. a pachinko parlour)

extreme tradition vs. extreme avant garde and modernity
(kimono commonly used as everyday wear vs. this as everyday wear)

extreme low crime vs. a thriving mafia

extreme kindness and hospitality vs. being eternally labeled an outsider

chaos and crowds vs. quiet serenity and calm

3 comments:

  1. I was surprised because your blog,especially your photos are very well made up(^^)
    I like your blog name too-!
    from mayuki

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for your comment... I will check yours very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice pics and interesting comments. But I wouldn't consider your ordered pairs to be polar extremes pitted against each other. Rather they are are both present to some degree in all circumstances with one perhaps seeming dominant at least for the moment. I like to think of these pairs in terms of Bhaktin's architectoncs where the pairs are like two tectonic plates interacting with each other, sometimes far apart, sometimes rubbing, sometimes creating jolting earthquakes. Fun and interesting stuff to capture visually. I look forward to your efforts.

    ReplyDelete

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Related websites: http://theatreofmind.livejournal.com/ - another blog I created http://flickr.com/photos/mafu/ - my flickr page This blog is a class project for my Visual Anthropology Class; as such it is for educational purposes only. All photos posted here are taken by the blog author unless otherwise noted. If any problem with the posting of a particular photo is brought to my attention, I will earnestly review the problem and remove the photo if necessary.