Tag - wabi

 
 

WABI

Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Dec 14, 2019
'Zen in Japanese Culture': An astute explainer of Japan's spiritual aesthetics
With 'Zen in Japanese Culture,' Gavin Blair deftly sidesteps superficial how-tos and Orientalism to deliver a in-depth explainer that leaves readers wanting to dig even deeper.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Aug 19, 2017
Wabi lies at the heart of Japanese history
You could spend your entire life in modern Japan without ever hearing the term wabi, though no overview of Japanese history or art is complete without it. It's a beautiful word, hard to define like most beautiful words. Poverty is the heart of it, which sounds dispiriting, but there's the Zen phrase "To fill a monk's tattered robe with a cool refreshing breeze," quoted by Zen master Daisetz T. Suzuki (1870-1966) as an invitation to see poverty through Zen eyes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Aug 12, 2017
'Wabi Sabi: The Art of Impermanence': A surprisingly accessible guide to traditional Japanese aesthetics
Japan's passion for the modern coexists with aesthetic proclivities that favor antiquity and refinement.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 1, 2017
What, if anything, makes Japan unique?
In February, American comedian Atsugiri Jason remarked on a Fuji TV talk show that one of the "demerits" of being a foreign TV personality in Japan is that he can't publicly say he thinks those aspects of Japanese culture which Japanese people believe are "uniquely amazing" are not, in fact, uniquely amazing. The example he gave was Japan being the only country with four distinct seasons. If he pointed out on a TV show that in the U.S. there are also four distinct seasons, he's sure the comment would be edited out of the program.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores