A few days ago I told a friend that I have only visited one temple since coming to Japan and she scolded me for it. She said that you could only experience and understand Japan if you visited temples and other such things. This idea that you can have only experienced Japan if you have been here or there has been bugging me for a while now. However, just by walking down the street or interacting with every day people I feel like I have experienced more of the true Japanese culture then if I spent all my time at temples or other places that my friend made fun of me for not have visited.. So my question is Japan the one on the left? With the old cultural such as temples or is it the one on the right, modern day cultural? Or does the answer only exist in both?
Of course the answer exists in both because the Japanese cultural that exist today couldn’t and wouldn’t exist with the influence of the old. But I do not like it when people suggest that to experience Japan, one only has to visit temples and shires and then one can understand Japan. To understand the Japan of today, one must also explore the modern day cultural as well.
The first picture was taken in the Fushimi Inari shine, the only one in which I have been to. The second picture was taken in Osaka. To which would you show your friends to represent Japan?
1 comment:
As you said, both... And many other images as well...
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