Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony (Geek In...guides)

Don’t you have the feeling when you face something that is iki or wabi-sabi that it’s trying to communicate wisdom through silence?

This is what you find in any work by mangaka Jiro Taniguchi, any book by Haruki Murakami, and in movies by Akira Kurosawa. Sand and rock gardens are an example of wabi-sabi.

One of the most accepted interpretations is that the main point when designing a dry garden is not the stones but the space between the stone. Zen emphasizes void, nothingness. “What makes dry gardens so special? The space between the rocks.” —Alan Booth

Hokusai Manga (1814),

The most beautiful Shinto shrines are usually in the middle of woods, surrounded by trees, forming part of nature.

Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid.)

Ukiyo-e Museum, located next to Harajuku Station in Tokyo (see the Harajuku map in chapter 11).

shakuhachi music, ikebana flower arrangement with its asymmetric

The practice of any martial art is a way to seek perfection, spiritual peace, and the evolution of the relationship between teacher and disciple. These are typical values not only for those who practice martial arts but for any Japanese person. In schools, for instance, respect for teachers is very important. Children are taught to bow before the t