Japanese Culture

Photo Gallery: Kyoto without tourists

The pandemic is slowly passing and the tourism industry in Japan, as well as in Italy, has suffered a severe blow. We are not yet entirely allowed to resume travelling, but it is at these times that we have to find the beauty of things. We also refer to the possibility of being able to discover landscapes and corners of cities that we could not see before, often also because of tourists. As a highly desirable destination for tourists, Kyoto has developed a love-hate relationship with visitors. With 8.31 million tourists from overseas, the ancient capital is definitely one of the most popular cities in Japan. 

Kyoto without tourists, a leap into the past

Author: Erika | Source: The Japan times

However, tourism is always a bit of a double-edged sword. While it prunes a lot of revenue to the visited countries, it also leads to overcrowded cities. In tourist places like Kyoto, it is really rare to be able to enjoy the landscapes without visitors. Nevertheless, due to COVID-19 and the closing of world borders, the number of visitors has dropped dramatically, leaving many of these places undisturbed. Through these photos, taken by the reporters of The Japan Times at the end of April, we can see a deserted city and admire its monuments in all their splendour.

One of the most famous sites and destination of many tourists is certainly the Kinkakuji, also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, this landmark has more than 5 million visitors a year. The current pavilion dates back to 1955 after the original was burned by a novice monk. However, the complex dates back to the 14th century. - Photos by Oscar Boyd

Fushimi Inari, a destination that every year attracts about 2.7 million visitors, a landmark known for its senbon torii (1000 torii, even if in reality they are 10 thousand in total), was like this. Those who have been there are aware that to be able to take such a picture under normal conditions you have to go there very early in the morning and wait several minutes to get the perfect shot of the empty tunnel. The photographer Gabriele Bortolotti took this picture at noon, in a deserted sanctuary at the end of April.

Nishiki's market, also known as "Kyoto's Kitchen" stretches for about 1.5km between Teramachi and Shinmachi districts in Kyoto. Among the increasingly popular souvenir shops, knife shops, the headquarters of traditional Japanese food suppliers and everything related to the kitchen, Oscar Boyd took this photo.

We move on to the wooden architectural tradition of Higashimaya. This area is very popular among people looking for a traditional Japan, without cement, glass and neon. This is how it looked under the eyes of Oscar Boyd at the end of April 2020.

Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion, built in the 15th century in the style of the Golden Pavilion, was not originally covered with the precious material. The complex has since become famous for its large Japanese garden which attracts around 5 million visitors every year. - Photos by Gabriele Bortolotti

The Yasaka Pagoda, one of the landmarks of the upper area of Higashimaya District, the last permanent structure of the 6th century Hokanji Temple looked like this at the end of April. - Photos by Oscar Boyd

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kiyamizudera temple on the side of Mount Otowa, in the eastern part of Higashimaya district is one of the landmarks not to be missed by visitors to Kyoto. Founded in 780 and rebuilt after a fire in the 15th century, work on the Okunoin Hall was completed in March. The temple attracts about 5 million tourists every year and yet in this weird 2020, it was completely empty. - Photos by Oscar Boyd

by erikaswan

Shikadamari, the deer gathering in Nara

One of Japan's most characteristic cities is Nara together with its deers and every year it is here that the Shikadamari takes place. But what exactly is this strange and unique phenomenon? What drives hundreds of deers to gather for an hour at this place in Nara Park every evening in summer?

Shikadamari, the phenomenon of the deer gathering in Nara

Author: Erika | Source: Soranews24.com

If you have ever been in the city of Nara, near the prefecture of Kyoto, probably one of the destinations you will have seen is Nara Park and its large deer population. The peculiarity of these deers is that they roam the city undisturbed, but not only that, they also ask for a lot of cookies! For this very reason, you may have had to run away from one of them while this curious deer was poking its nose into your bag.

However, if you've come to this city in the summer, you'll find these nice creatures much less noisy in the evening. In fact, after sunset, a very particular phenomenon called "shikadamari" happens. This Japanese term translates as "deer gathering point" and is an unofficial term coined especially for this wildlife event.

What is Shikadamari

After sunset on summer evenings, around 6:30 p.m., deers gather near Nara Park to stop in this particular place in front of the National Museum of Nara, right inside the park.
 Indeed, it is not unusual to find deers relaxing in the park, but it is rare to see a large number of these animals all gathered in the same spot. The most disconcerting thing is that they all gather in the same place, at the same time and for the same amount of time. From 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., you can see the deers sitting in silence. However, after 7:00 p.m., they stand up and return to the different areas of the park.

According to a survey by the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, the Park is home to about 1388 deer, and almost half the wildlife population participates in this gathering. What could that indicate?

Plausible explanations

Therefore, one of the plausible explanations for this phenomenon is that deers gather in this particular place to cool off. After all, with the hot temperatures of the Japanese summer, in this place we find a breath of fresh air instead.
 Despite everything, this very piece of land in front of the museum is one of the sunniest parts of the entire park during the day. Theoretically, therefore, the earth is very overheated, but perhaps it is this mix of warm earth and fresh air that attracts the deer to the shikadamari.

In this regard, the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation says:

"We have reports of deer gathering in front of the Nara National Museum. We don't even know why they gather there. We're sorry we can't be of any help".

With this answer, therefore, the Shikadamari phenomenon remains to all intents and purposes one of the mysteries of Japan. And do you have any particular idea why deer gather every night in summer at this very spot in the park? Let us know on on our Facebook page or in the comments below!

by erikaswan

Wood and Japanese architecture

If you have ever been to Japan or even seen photos, you will have noticed that Japanese architecture is characterized by the use of wood as the primary material. Today we see how this traditional material has become an emblem of Japanese architecture.

Wood, mold and fire in Japanese architecture

Author: Erika | Source: Nippon.com

Japan's wet environment has made it possible to develop an architectural style mainly focused on the use of wood. In fact, in summer, humidity levels reach peaks that we can hardly conceive of here in Europe. However, if you have been to Japan during the months of June and July, you will have noticed that you sweat even while standing still. For this very reason, in the history of this country, techniques and materials have been developed to help compensate for this problem. In fact, the raised floors and open spaces typical of traditional houses have guaranteed adequate ventilation to combat the accumulation of toxic mould. In addition, the wooden construction with mullions and beams not only helps against moisture but also becomes useful in the design for resistance to typhoons and earthquakes.

Although fires have been frequent in the history of Japan, historically the Japanese have built almost exclusively with wood. Certainly, the fire was a persistent problem and this is reflected in the severity of the current fire laws. However, judging by history, it seems that the major cause of the problem was the natural disasters that led Japanese architecture to take the forms we all know.

The constant presence of mould in Japanese architecture

Actually, mould is a constant problem not only for Japan but a little bit for the whole world. In fact, today we were able to create a solution by applying modern architectural techniques.
Much of Japan has ideal conditions for mould because of the various types of mushrooms present in the country. In addition, temperatures rarely fall below zero and humidity can last over 70% for long periods of time. These are all ideal conditions for mould to form, but traditional wooden construction alleviated this problem. In fact, with these construction techniques, the building was raised from ground level leaving the walls open so that air could flow freely in the spaces. Because of this problem, older buildings contain very little furniture and equipment. Temples, sanctuaries, palaces and traditional houses fall into this category.

Japan and tradition

As we all know, Japan is a very traditionalist country and Japanese architecture is no less. However there is a strong preference for the new, in fact, large companies do not hide to design houses to last about 30 years, after that the house should be demolished and rebuilt. This is almost inconceivable from a Western point of view, but reconstruction is a perfect way to completely eliminate mould, infestation and other problems.

The culture of reconstruction has, in fact, ancient roots in Japan because until the 8th century AD the death of an emperor was the cause of the displacement of the royal palace and the capital. Moreover, there was a saying in the Edo period that read "fire is one of the two flowers of Edo, as the city often blossomed". Whether the cause was fires or abrupt changes, these reasons have significantly lowered the average life of buildings. However, moving a house meant throwing everything except the wooden structure, the framing was in fact dismantled and reassembled with a fresh roof and curtain walls. In fact, this not only solved the problems of mould or other problems but also preserved the most durable parts of a house. Precisely for this reason, today we find extremely old and recycled beams and columns in many farmhouses.

Wood VS Metal

During the Tokugawa Shogunate, political decisions limited the use of metal fasteners and this was also an important factor in the development of carpentry in Japanese architecture. In fact, despite the fact that steel was already widely used, metal fasteners had no comparison with the longevity of wooden joints. In fact, in unseasoned wood, these fixings were strongly subject to seasonal shrinkage and expansion of the surrounding material. Also, when exposed to air, they are subject to rapid oxidation due to Japan's humid climate.

On the contrary, an all-wooden junction becomes stronger and stronger as time goes by. In fact, calculations show that the latter may be structurally more solid even in the centuries following construction. Wood gains in strength for 200-300 years after being cut, but gradually decreases after that. For this very reason, the heavy roofs of traditional Japanese architecture are impossible to build without an elaborate wooden structure.

To withstand the weather and typhoons, these roofs should be supported by large stone walls, but in a country where earthquakes are so common and typhoons so devastating, it becomes too impractical. In addition, during the rainy season, condensation would occupy and ruin all the walls. In traditional Japanese architecture, the entire wooden supporting structure is open for visual inspection, meaning that any water infiltration was easily identified and handled quickly.

Japanese architecture and earthquake-proof houses

As we well know, Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes that do not seem to create too much damage. This is not because earthquakes are less violent, but thanks to the anti-seismic techniques of Japanese architecture. In fact, earthquake resistance is the third reason why Japanese architecture primarily uses wood in its constructions.

In Western culture, houses are solidly bonded to the foundations, which makes them a solid earthquake-resistant box with walls strong enough to withstand lateral shocks. As a result, the building will move with the ground, however, making the occupants feel the full force of the earthquake. In Japanese culture, on the other hand, construction using wooden joints makes everything more flexible. In this way, the lateral energy of an earthquake is absorbed by the bending of the junctions themselves, allowing the building with a heavy roof to remain standing even during strong tremors. To make you understand better, many old buildings are constructed in a similar way to a wooden chair, with supporting pillars without walls connected both at the top, where the roof rests and at the bottom. This allows you to support the weight safely and dynamically.

Thanks to the use of this technique, most traditional buildings are not based on foundations or basements. However, one might expect that during an earthquake the structure will jump from the base stones, the masonry walls will break and the beams will bend or break. But a well-built wooden building remains standing, in fact even in contemporary construction basic insulation is becoming a standard for seismic design even though it is illegal in Japan.

So many forests equal so much wood

Here is the latest reason why we find this preference for wood in Japanese architecture. In fact, the ready availability of timber and the use in traditional construction, cypress and pine, for example, are ready for harvesting and use only after 40-60 years of growth. Japanese carpenters have in fact become experts in making the most of wood construction techniques for many generations. This has not only allowed us to specialize in the use of this material but has also left us a rich heritage of buildings that are not only cultural heritage, but also teach us in the West to become more sustainable and safe without giving up modernity.

by erikaswan