Bonito Living

It might sound a bit exaggerated but I feel I’ve prepared all my life for Japan. The first few days of this adventure have flown by… between the jet lag and navigating the complexities of this city and her radiant (although sometimes incomprehensible) hospitality.

Tokyo represents both the future and the past: ultra-modern buildings hustle for space amongst shrines, temples, and urban gardens. Our hotel is located in the Taito district, next to the religious complex of the impressive Senso Jin Buddhist temple and the ancient Asakusa Shinto Shrine. Next to them, we are crisscrossed by little restaurants and the bustling Nakamise market street, behind the monumental Kaminrimon Gate whose majestic bell announces the starting of prayers and rituals. 

Religion is nestled between iron and glass buildings, the shrines of progress, and technology. At night, the ornamented needle of the pagoda is mirrored by the Skytree Tower, a landmark of the city on the other side of the Sumida River.

Our few excursions into the city reveal the contrast between the ancient and the modern: the urban wealth fashioned in expensive clothing, technology, and a surprising atmosphere of security and calmness. Dotted around are the colorful markets, the incomprehensible variety of goods packed in acid colors, the abundance of the konbinis or convenience stores, and the designer shops of the nearby Ginza district.

I recognize myself in this visual feast. In the cultural value of the kawaii – cute of Hello Kitty and Pokemon (short for pocket monsters), and the simplicity of wood-printed images from the ukiyo-e, Hiroshige and Hokusai, those precursors of manga. This is a culture of Bonito Living exemplified in the aesthetics of beautifully presented food, the civil politeness of bowing and smiling; the clean streets, the harmony of gardens and urban forests, to the even mundane considerations of their hi-tech toilets (warm seats, rear showers, gentle dryers, and even protective soundtracks to disguise the trickles!). 

This fascination with beauty is rooted in their relationship with nature and divinity. Our morning walk through the temples combines the sublime adoration of gods and Buddhas with the celebration of everyday objects. Our lovely guide Maki points out at the Shrine of Broken Needles, hidden amongst the many altars… for those who sew, a good needle is a treasured friend and their presence and eventual disappearing of our lives is a matter of devotion. 

While we bathe in the autumnal light, amongst ginkgos and willows I can see the high towers glistening in the sun. But it’s not a stark contrast, but a dialogue. It’s the old sustaining the new, the celebration of the past nurturing the promises of the future. I’m trying to make sense of all of this when my thoughts are interrupted by the joyful laugh of a white-haired lady, pointing at the carnaval of koi fish in the pond… joining her we shriek in happiness and she opens her bag to give me a couple of ginkgo leaves she’s been collecting. I cannot believe her generosity and my youthful heart slowly starts to understand the ancient wisdom of this country. 

To be continued