==JAPAN: Saitama==

When you try to talk about Japanese culture, maybe you will think of the traditional aesthetic sense and arts based on such sense: especially fruits of 'kokufu-bunka' (Japanese-styled culture), which is represented by the literature "Genji Monogatari", which appeared in the Heian Era (794-1192). Or, perhaps Samurai, Harakiri. . . (images of a latter era), will be very typical stereotypes of Japan.
Of course, they are wonderful, beautiful, and noble (because they are improved by the Nobles), sometimes delicate and sometimes daring. Actually I love to visit museums to see such arts and crafts. Even though I am not so familiar with them, I enjoy visiting, and I feel something precious. The reason, I guess, must be the spirit of 'fitting' things for the Japanese way, which is the basis of such crafts. I mean, what should deserve attention are not only the crafts themselves, but also the process of making things in the 'Japanese' style.
As I mentioned in my first paragraph, 'kokufu-bunka' originated in the Heian Era, but you can't miss the effect from China and Korea. The origin was in Chinese and Korean cultures, from which Japanese people imported things. (They stopped the import in 894). That means, it was not a pure Japanese product. Our ancestors fit foreign cultures into the Japanese style, which also suited the Japanese climate. Some foul-tongued foreigners say that "Japanese always try to copy others indiscriminately," but I suppose they can't copy and improve things better than Japanese. It takes a certain talent to do it. In fact, they are started by copying. but end with the certain result of making other things--quite different from the original in many instances. It's creative, after all, and not "mere" copying. Moreover, "fitting" requires us to know ourselves very well at the same time. We might even say that it's a very strong way of appealing to one's own identity.
We try to understand the other cultures/products, copy them to adopt them, and then adjust them to suit us. These three steps are the extract of beautiful Japanese tradition, I think.
Here, I don't want you to mistake me: Something is not always meaningful because it has all of the three steps. Only understanding, copying and fitting are rather meaningless. This is the point that concerns me these days.
People, especially the young, seem to try to live life in a western way. This can be seen in various aspects of daily lives--'2 x 4' houses (which originally was a system for Canadian housing), interiors, meals and snacks (hamburgers instead of Japanese-styled dinner), and clothing. They have good points, of course, but sometimes a bit unfit for the Japanese climate. Now let's think about fashion among young people. They are affected by the fashion of foreign countries, as we can see at a glance, but the next moment I feel something out of place. The reason should be the incompleteness of the three elements. They don't try to understand the sense, or don't adopt (or copy) it very well, or don't adjust it.
Ever after the start of internationalization in the late 1860's, Japanese certainly have tended to admire western countries. But it's so dangerous to forget the great sense of the 'understand, adopt, and fit' system.
'Aesthetically good' has the same meaning as the word 'Fit' for me. I believe Japanese culture has aesthetic value. and I don't want to abandon this beautiful tradition.
Why don't we look back upon ourselves and think of fitting things for ourselves--for nobody else's sake?