Our Man in Japan III
1 April 2012
Steve has travelled to Osaka, located on the Yodo River. It is one of Japan's important economic centres:
'For me, Osaka seems to be a city where very little soil is exposed to the air. I’m experiencing this very urban landscape through its hidden spaces and back streets, but as much through the traditionally prepared and cooked foods. The tastes are rooted in both the land and in the people; in their skill of growing, harvesting, preparing, cooking and presenting the food. All this is transferred directly into me when I’m experiencing the pleasure of eating what I'm being offered. In this sense we absorb and become a little of the lands and cultures we travel through.'
Our Man in Japan II
31 March 2012
The Zen gate at Tofuku-ji
Steve has visited one of Kyoto's important Buddhist temples:
'Today I have visited the temple of Tofuku-ji which was one of the leading Zen precincts in Kyoto. Founded in 1236, the temple also has some more recent design overlays by the renowned, twentieth century garden designer and historian, Mirei Shigemori [below]. Implemented in the 1930s, the designs reflect Shigemori’s modernist sensibility, while still expressing the simplicity and truth to materials shown in the 13th century design. The place is truly amazing and lifts the soul.'
Our Man in Japan I
29 March 2012
Steve is undertaking a research trip to the far east. For the next few weeks we'll be featuring some extracts from his correspondence. Today he writes from Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan:
'I’m enjoying all aspects of Japan; the people, the landscape and gardens, the food, the art and both the emerging modern, and persisting traditional cultures that seem to coexist so well. I am lucky to be in Kyoto with our good friend, the artist Mr Kashu Yabuta, and our interpreter, Mai; they’re able to reveal some of the subtleties and secrets of the Japanese garden. I have met with garden design professors from Kyoto School of Art and Design, and also with garden makers, one of whom is the eighth descendent in a family of gardeners who have cared for the gardens at the Temple of Nanzen-ji.'
Moss & shadow in the Edo Period gardens of Konchi-in, a sub-temple within the complex of Nanzen-ji