We have been having a few travellers staying with us recently here in Japan and it has been interesting to hear what they think about this country, and moreover, what their expectations were prior to arrival in these lands.
Any country is a “diverse beast” and Japan is no exception. Surfing the web this morning I came across the following articles which cover a couple of the multitudinous faces of Japan - technology, tradition and ecology.
So lets start with cute technology. Geekyblog has a post featuring a very cute robot: Postkun - Limited Edition Japanese Robot.
They have this to say about the robot:
This funky looking robot is the creation of Tokyo based company Kyosho, he is called Postkun, which means ‘Little Postman’ in Japan.
Postkun will be available in a limited edition of just 10 robots, and only available in Japan for about $3,500.
That price seems a bit steep, so I don’t think I will be getting one unless my boss starts paying me more - a lot more!
You can read more about Postkun here: Postkun - Limited Edition Japanese Robot.
Treehugger - a website I quite enjoy reading, has an interesting piece on Paco House. A long way from Le Corbusier, Paco House is an alternative to dome housing, offering the possibility of a second house that is just gorgeous.
Doesn’t that just look idyllic? Especially from the midst of winter in Tokyo.
They add:
Let’s say you needed a really small house, perhaps a Dome Home, to put on a secluded place on a beach, somewhere far off and away. Schemata Architecture Office Ltd. is a group of designers showing a concept small second house that you could build yourself, or perhaps help to develop. I like the freedom of this. You could put it anywhere. If no-one complains, you are ok to go. Are there laws against second house freedom?
Indeed, who would complain! You can read more about the Paco House, and see some more pictures here: Small House Design “Paco” From Japan.
And finally the traditional - Men at Work: Artisans of Old Japan. No not an Australian 80’s band trying to make music using the remains of last nights dinner, but a well researched article from Slate Magazine. There are three parts up at the moment, and it looks like more are on the way.
The writer June Thomas kicks off:
Every language attracts a special kind of student. Spanish speakers are lazy and charming. Those who have mastered French are sometimes chic and always sybaritic. Hebrew attracts the committed; Turkish, the committed and complicated. Adventurers are drawn to Arabic, and Mandarin is for brainiacs who love a challenge—so much so that they often abandon the language altogether once they’ve got it down. And Japanese? Japanese speakers are serious, serious people. Of course, all languages demand tedious, diligent study, but there’s something about Japanese that calls out to those who are quiet, kind, and, often, spiritual. People who would rather kneel on a tatami mat contemplating a calligraphy scroll than, say, slump on a sofa watching Gossip Girl.
I always fancied myself too frivolous for Japan. Going there would be like visiting a library—a quiet, orderly place where nothing much happens. A world unto itself with lovely things to look at but nothing much to do. I love libraries; I just didn’t want to spend my vacation in one. All that politeness stressed me out. There seemed to be a million rules—take your shoes off here, wear these slippers in the bathroom and nowhere else—and I didn’t understand any of them.
You can read the rest of the article here: Men at Work: Artisans of Old Japan. That should keep you going till lunchtime.
I went to a trial shodo, or Japanese calligraphy, lesson on Saturday, and then had my first proper lesson last night.
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