praise of shadow

For decades, Japan has exerted a strong attraction on architects and artists worldwide. Japanese culture combines precision, simplicity, and spirituality in a coherent worldview that has had a lasting influence on international design practice. Its architecture is distinguished by the refined use of wood, transparency, and lightweight structures, and developed its own identity that remains open to outside influences while being deeply rooted in local traditions.

Japanese architecture is more than an aesthetic discipline. It is inextricably linked to spiritual beliefs such as Shintoism and Zen Buddhism, in which nature, time, and emptiness play a central role. These ideas translate into spaces that invite stillness and attention. Art and architecture are not seen as exceptions, but as an integral part of daily life.

Tokyo forms a first anchor point within this journey. The city presents itself as an extremely complex metropolis where infrastructure, technology, and density come together with small-scale residential structures. Amid the high-rise buildings, intimate places for art, design, and gastronomy emerge, and temporary exhibitions showcase the latest trends in contemporary art and digital media.

Kyoto offers a contrasting experience. As a former imperial city, it carries a strong historical layering. Temples and gardens are closely intertwined with the landscape and show a refined handling of proportion, seasons, and materials. Traditional crafts remain vibrant here, including tea ceremonies and porcelain workshops that create a direct link to the foundations of Japanese artistic practice.

The third anchor point is the art islands in the Seto Inland Sea: Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima. Here, landscape, architecture, and art merge into a powerful spatial experience. Contemporary architecture and international artworks engage in an intense dialogue with sea, light, and topography.

Long distances are covered efficiently by high-speed trains. Ferries and speedboats provide a calmer pace for the transition to the islands. On the islands, travel takes place mainly by bicycle, offering a direct and sustainable way to experience art and landscape.

highlights

The Teshima Art Museum is a droplet-shaped concrete shell in which architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito blur the boundaries between architecture, art, and the elements through a play of incoming light and dancing water droplets on the floor.

In the shadow of the monumental wooden torii gates of the serene Meiji Shrine, the stately, zelkova-lined boulevard of Omotesando unfolds, where traditional stillness seamlessly flows into an architectural spectacle of modern luxury and avant-garde fashion.

Ginkakuji, the iconic Silver Pavilion, is famous for its harmonious interplay between the carefully raked sand garden, the "Sea of Silver Sand," and a lush moss and walking garden that embodies the essence of the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic.

In the heart of the historic Asakusa district, the colorful spirit of old Edo comes alive around the imposing Senso-ji Temple, a lively atmosphere that is deepened in the nearby Edo-Tokyo Museum by impressive full-scale replicas that make the city’s turbulent transformation through the centuries tangible.  

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