Hello there

i am a big fan of Japanese tradition
i find it as one of the more natural synced far practical and ornamental friendly
in almost all aspects - from the base to everything else housing,measures and attitude
i was studying about the culture long before i arrived here
i am currently living in Tokyo,this city is pretty much the same as all metropolitnans i saw in my life
but there is something a bit different in the content of the people

i visited at Kyoto for a few days and suffered from a growing heartbreak as i saw the traditional houses amount is growing smaller and smaller
i know i haven't seen all of japan yet and maybe i am rushing abit into conclusions but somthing in me is rather sad about what japan (at least the surface) is turning into.

any thoughts from you guys will be highly appreciated

WTF?!

do you wants to stop of japanese cultural development?

-

development?

becoming same as another culture means progression??

take the Japanese housing for instance

they used to build houses that last for about 300 years even more
plain wood,perfect inner/outer design
unlike building made of cement the old Japanese house had far more practical usage and surroundings synced
the wood collected and preserved the heat for the cold days of the winter ,and vice versa in summer time
they used to live along with their families (no need to build 12 apartments for 12 people and just destroy the environment for ones "individual needs")

the smart structure of the village ,each family had its own land where they worked together and passed knowledge from one generation to the other
the gardens they used to have ,as well as a patio

what culture progression you have in mind when one culture is practically consuming the other?

Well the lifestyle of Japanese has changed since then, so apartment blocks are perfectly fine and suited for modern needs. I can't imagine a dense city like Tokyo be still having old wooden buildings, especially if a fire break out it's gonna be disastrous.

Having said that I'm sure a lot of people still live in old style buildings in rural areas.

Nowadays it's probably a lot more expensive to make those old style buildings than concrete flats, not everyone can afford that.

Its not being consumed. Japan is moving on with the times, just as every country does, it would be idiotic for it to remain in one style forever. Culture changes throughout the years, it develops, ideas are taken from others and adapted, thats the way it has always been and always will be.

well i don't see any advantage in living in a cement high building in case of earth quake or fire

and its not like I'm trying to turn the wheels of time backwards

i believe there is a way to marge past future and present

for instance try and think about the advantages of a wood house along with some nano improvements
(nanotechnology that is!)

i say try and find a way to progress but in a wise way

there is some knowledge from the past and the present knowledge

combine both together and i believe the future will look far far better


'smid_2'

Because thats the only reason isnt it It'd be illogical to go back to everyone having wood housing especially in major cities such as Tokyo, granted in smaller areas they do still have those kinds of houses but in general it wouldnt work.
I'd much rather live in a minimalist style apartment in Tokyo than a wooden house.

Toonagi sounds like some Anthropoligists who think that the native that they come to study, are better off keeping their traditions of being naked and living in squallor. Me personally, I think everyone in the world should modernize and be democratized, because people are better off with these things. And, when ever international aid doesn't work (due to corrupt politicians) force and coercion can do the trick.
I'm not a utilitarianism, but it seems in situations like that, the ends justify the means.

the idea is the reduce the population dude!

you are getting it all wrong...
'.'

'thumbup'




huh??

how old is you if i may ask and i belive i may...

'hmm'

i just love it when other people point out that i should go back to my roots.

as for traditionalism, i've never been to Japan, but as far as i've learned in terms of it's rapid modernization and industrialization compared to most places in the world, including the old world, Japan has by far kept most (edit: meaning to say, more so in comparison...) of it's pre-modern traditions imho.

Same. I do however think its nice to have some areas which contain remnants of the past but as a whole people need to modernize.


You're 14 arent you...........

japanophile.

i can tell youre either 10 years old or extremely retarded. i bet you want to see modern samurai walking down the street committing seppuku and hara-kiri. ugh. retarded thread.

Eh, like others have said, cultures are always changing and there will be traditions that will die out over time. I don't think that means that Japan's culture is "doomed" since it's only following an ever-changing path like any other culture. However, you seem to appreciate Japan's "older" culture so I can see why you might be concerned. I suppose there's nothing you can really do about it though.

cultures change for the better through advancements in technology

oopss!!

sorry !!

my husband just informed me that this is a teenagers forum!!!

how silly of me !!

sorry again for posting sucha puzzling subject.

enjoy your days of youth

get back to Jpop talks

lol
':D'
kiotskete

Just like Israel, Japan isn't some special country that’s innately differently & special from the rest of Humanity. By the Welcome to Modern urban planning in countries with Historical buildings.

does your husband happen to lurk around here, looking at pictures of asian girls posted up?

^I feel so violated.

japanophile with a different approach.
jkjkjk

hey its actually kinda relieving hearing someone who loves japan that doesnt obssess over anime or jpop and all that crap. This is the right way to view japan. good mentality.

the whole "I dont like ANIME! I dont like manga! I like the cultureeeeeee" is just a guise used by japanophiles everywhere so they dont fall into the stereotypical class of fat smelly anime.manga nerds

I think they're just looking for an excuse to use the cheap samurai sword they bought at some Chinese souvenir shop at a mall.

Like you even have a husband, why would anyone want to marry someone with the intelligence of a 3yr old child?

oh comeone boy...

have i ever said anything like "I dont like ANIME! I dont like manga! I like the cultureeeeeee"

thats absurd
you keep missing my point


isnt it sad..i mean someone comes up with the word culture and return and everyone jumps around
spooked out and loaded with prejudices
why is it that culture has to do with backwardness?
as if the world as it is today is so perfect.
honestly can you guys stop being so afraid of the term culture/tradition?
i presume it has to do with the fact you are young
in a way i should be more tolerated i guess..since you guys really sound so YOUNG
there is some privileges that ones gets with time and space
(travel the world and collect the variety of wisdom)
japan to my eyes has a lot more to offer then the western culture does
in a way its more exact to say that combining both can be the right thing to do
but since you are so so spooked out of the mare definition of tradition and feeling so threatened by it i suppose i should really stop this conversation right here.
sorry again

and to miss Suren911 = sorry i didnt mean any harm done

I would hardly call 22 young
No-one said culture was backward but what you are suggesting is. The way things are now is perceived as the best option, obviously over time that changes. Society has evolved to this present time now you are suggesting we go back and try to incorporate old styles into the new which is fine but the specific style you are suggesting is illogical.
If anyone is acting like a child its you with your inability to see this from a different angle.

i think pretty much everyone thinks im a japanophile and i have anime (pokemon as my sig/avatar) yet you cant find a single post from me in the anime chat .. why? cause i dont like anime ..

YOU would hardly call 22!!!!! young!

allow me to lol and roll

grow up a bit and come back to comment on the issue it seems extremely hard for you
to cooperate and it seems like your EGO is calling you to start abuse other people in order to feel maturer hey
it is indeed your problemo



'-cheers'

See, I make a point and you just completely ignore it and go off on childish namecalling. Read what I wrote and you'll see I dont disagree completely with your point

why deary, what i am trying to do is somehow build hashi (i hope its the right Japanese for bridge) between us!

i see your point and i understand where is the clash

so lets start over again ...its just that i have to run to my Japanese school very soon

so lets leave the darklish spits behind us and i promise to collaborate when i am back

maybe my Japanese will get much better so i can thread some Japanese words into it

cheer-e-yo's and no hard feelings pleaseeeeeeeeeeee!!

lol its ok

Apparently, this IS a page for the youth - when they can't get that culture is more than just buildings.

If you want culture, yes, you are going to have to leave the Tokyo area - (Los Angeles where the cars are driving on the other side of the street and the gaijin can't read the signs).

Just an hour north is Saitama Prefecture, and thankfully, many of the festivals and other cultural aspects are being kept. Kawagoe, for example, still has many of the old inns used prior to the Meiji Restoration.

Sorry, kids, if this is boring to you. For you, in Saitama Prefecture, you can go to Omiya and see the John Lennon Museum for what you will probably see as "ancient history".

japanophilia is rampant on this thread.

Well, I see alot of tradition still in practice in Japan. Alot more so, than in many other countries that are developed. But if you live in TOkyo like Toonagi, then it can get tiring at times. (for me at least)
Maybe she means certain traditions to be used more? Because....it's kind of hard for a Japanese person, not to act or live as a Japanese in Japan. and Japan needs modern things to be able to keep going forward as a developed nation, whether it be ultimately bad or good or a loss of tradition.
But hey, countries/cultures are always making up new traditions right?
100 yrs. from now. whatever is new will be considered 'tradition' and change can sometimes be for the better than keeping tradition.

the thread starter is

actually i was more into thinking how to preserve the knowledge one can find within the Japanese culture
as well as other cultures ,but in away i am more focused on the Japanese tradition mainly because in a way
and it is indeed pretty similar within other eastern cultures but still there is something unique in japans tradition
and its the measure of things
there is hardly any waste when you look at the method of using stuff from nature for instance
there was no waste

rice = was used as food,also used in order to make Shirozake (sweet drink).sak'e,Rice Vinegar

the strings were used for making shoes


and many other great ideas and usages of natural goodies

the Japanese houses the imperiousness structure had a direct impact over peoples attitudes
and so on and on

now check out the Brazilian culture for instance they as well as other countries like Spain ,Italy and more
have siesta in their tradition

you see what i am trying to achieve here ?
i am trying to take all the good things and to emerge them into one thing
because the way things are going around the world with the over building/tremendous amount of people committing suicide the way
nature is practically raging all over the world all this needs to change.

the way cities are made nowadays is practicaly proved to be wrong
young people are becoming as isolated as old people usually are,the aspects of family/community @$$ is breaking apart
and humans becomes more and more greedy and caring only about themselves as poor people along with nature are paying
the highest price

i see this world the same as a tree is to a caterpillar, we live on it and feeding on it but we arent the only one here!
if we eat too much we will starve eventually because the leaves takes time to grow back,if not we then our kids
we have to take that into consideration
although i believe nature is far stronger then us i believe its time to unite knowledge of past and present so that we will have a future.
'neutral'

yeah let's all go back to the Stoneage

lol j/k

I miss the good old days when Germans were dirty nomads that went around destroying villages and peeing on Roman alters.

more then that i think you are REALLY missing the POINT here...

omg. yucky pic!

You know what's really funny the same can be said about America, It would be good to view America as a place where respectable people come from without people obsessing over Hip-hop, Death Rock, and green socks.

sounds very simular.

lol ahaha that's true, he sounds like one of those fags that believe ninja still exist.

Hello everyone, I live in Japan and its a nice place. Japanese dont have alot of old wooden buildings anymore because alot of Japanese people want modern apts. The old Japanese style apts and houses are usually super cheap to rent unles its a really really nice place.

Oh and ninjas due exist. Just like other martial arts, still here.

OOO, my architecture sense is tingling with delight.

There are numerous reasons why wood was abandoned in modern Japanese building design. First off, wood is an expensive commodity in Japan. Second, old buildings in urban areas are usually torn down to make way for new projects that increase the land value. Unlike the United States, Japan's buildings do not increase in property value--they actually devalue. Take Prada, Tokyo for example, a commercial building designed by Herzog & De Meuron. The previous building was demolished to make room for a project that will in fact, increase the value of land and its surrounding proponents. Third, I don't think the building codes will allow a wooden building to be constructed. There might be seismic issues as well as other policies that even I don't know about.

Frankly, Japanese cities, like many modern cities in the world, experience into a widespread cultural and demographic changes that will only continue to evolve what it means to be native Japanese living in a large urban environment. The Japanese have adopted modern architecture, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they've become another culture because that is just absurd.

Shiguru Ban is a Japanese architect you'd probably want to research on if your interested in paper tube architecture, as opposed to wood, haha.

lol lay off the naruto, ninja don't exist, they died out a long time ago, you're white aren't you? and just to let you know, if you're pretending to be Japanese, you're doing an absolutely horrible job.

Well he never said he was Japanese (I'm sure some people would LOVE to say they're Japanese). Just that he lives Japan. To this day I still don't understand why so many Jphiles answer "Japan is cool" when asked why they want to live there.

and seeing samurais walking in public or practicing bushido in public parks is normal

lol damn, you beat me to it lol, next time I go home I'll have to watch my back for ninja trying to assassinate me lol

I agree. Japanese tradition must be put back into the spot light. The americanized and western elements that have been poisoned into japanese society must be kept at a minimum. I think that is the most positive thing for japan in the end.

Thanks dear Ogumo

i presume most of what i said here got a little bit twisted by the "modern thinking kids"...
i love the Japanese old culture mostly because its synced with nature it doesn't divert from it or tries to change it (not much anyway)
our world as it is today is proving to be in how to say..bad path toward an indeed BAD future.
i think digging into the Japanese's culture basics can help up with ways in which many problems we are facing today will be solved

i think you are still living in a japanese fantasy world where the people spend all day sweeping rocks and polishing their ninja stars.

old japanese society was quite racist, sexist, and isolated. tho im sure many old cultures are including western ones. sure these things might still exist today, but to a much lesser degree. if the japanese still kept to their old "traditions" of isolation, than most of the country would still be made up of dirt farmers. just look at rural china today. that is the price of sticking to your old traditions and not opening up to the rest of the world. the world is a rapidly changing place, and japan is changing with it or else it gets left in the dust. plus, who the hell wants to live ina 400 year old decomposing wooden shack anyways. and if japan did go back to its "old traditions" the first thing theyd probably do is kick your foreigner @$$ outta the country.

and if you wanna be insync with nature, than go join a taoist monastery.