The popular board game of Go is also believed to have been introduced to Japan during this period. Japan then gradually became a centralized state during the Asuka Period, during which Japan extensively absorbed many aspects of Chinese culture, and saw the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism and Confucianism. Archaeological evidence, however, has only managed to trace the Imperial line back to the Kofun Period during the 3rd to 7th centuries CE, which was also when the Japanese first had significant contact with China and Korea. Recorded Japanese history begins in the 5th century, although archaeological evidence of settlement stretches back 50,000 years and the mythical Emperor Jimmu is said to have founded the current Imperial line in the 7th century BCE. It is comparable with the relationship between Britain and the rest of Europe, but with a much wider channel. Until recently, Japan has been able to turn on or off its connection to the rest of the world, accepting foreign cultural influences in fits and starts. Just close enough to mainland Asia, yet far enough to keep itself separate, much of Japanese history has seen alternating periods of closure and openness. Japan's location on islands at the outermost edge of Asia has had a profound influence on its history. An individual that embraces a particular subculture and its fashions may alternately conform to vary different norms when working or at home, but there is little sense of conflict between these roles. Clothing styles evolve along a dozen paths at the same time rather than singular mass fashion trends. Many urban blocks evolve to line up dozens of narrow buildings spanning fifty or more years of design history. In this way, development mostly happens in a piecemeal fashion, one building at a time, rather than in large redevelopment projects. That’s not to say that Japan embraces the large scale preservation of historical structures or that people generally practice traditional ceremonies, but people generally believe that if a small number of people want to continue on a tradition or preserve a building that they own, they should be allowed to do that. New things are mostly just layered beside old things. Japan was the first Asian country to independently modernize, and the country continues to embrace new technologies and aesthetics, but unlike in many countries, Japan does not feel a particular need to attack or remove older technologies, structures, or practices. Japan has often been seen in the West as a land combining tradition and modernity, and many traditional structures and practices are preserved, but modern structures and practices definitely dominate your experience in Japan. These juxtapositions can seem perplexing or jarring to those used to the more uniform nature of European and North American cities, but if you let go, and accept the layered aesthetics, you’ll find interesting and surprising places throughout the country. In the middle of modern skyscrapers you’ll discover sliding wooden doors which lead to traditional chambers with tatami mats, shoji screens, and calligraphy, suitable for traditional tea ceremonies. The most acclaimed restaurant in the country, which costs hundreds of dollars for dinner, is a small shop located in a subway station seating less than a dozen people. Japan has beautiful temples and gardens which are often surrounded by garish signs and ugly buildings. Cities are as modern and high tech as anywhere else, but tumbledown wooden shacks can still be spotted next to glass fronted designer condominiums. Many Japanese corporations dominate their industries, yet if you read the financial news it seems like Japan is practically bankrupt. Japan is often difficult to understand for those educated in the west. Japanese culture stretches back millennia, yet has also been quick to adopt and create the latest modern fashions and trends. The "Land of the Rising Sun" is a country where the past meets the future. Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment? Listening to the night rain on my roof, I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out." - Ryokan Taigu Ten days' worth of rice in my bag a bundle of twigs in my fireplace. Guest Houses or Share Houses or Gaikokujin Houses)Ĭherry blossoms in Kichijoji, Tokyo "Too lazy to be ambitious, I let the world take care of itself.
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