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2010 sats \ 13 comments \ @cryotosensei 21 Mar Photography

Less Is More in Japan

Back when i was happily single, i loved travelling to countries like Nepal and India. I embraced their brutal assault on my senses. The cacophony of diverse sights, sounds and smells energised my senses and hyper-sensitised me to my surroundings, making me feel invigorated and present in the moment.

With the double whammy that can only be delivered by the destabilising forces of middle age and parenthood, I find myself drawn to Japan’s simplicity these days. Occupied with a shrieking baby and a precocious toddler who can’t stop asking “Why? Why? Why?!”, I find myself craving for peace and quiet, not just for my strained ears, but also for my weary eyes.

During this Japan trip, I find myself captivated by how the Japanese masterfully employ space to make quiet statements that reflect the current times and season of the year. They are not afraid of using one artifact to decorate an entire wall, trusting that its artistry is sufficient to draw your attention. Also, just when I least expect it, I will find some obscure corner being furnished with surprising details that never fail to activate my trigger-happy impulse. Everything is so clean-cut and sleek that I feel that my eyes are on a retreat, only taking in the necessary important details.

It seems that “less is more” is a philosophy embodied by the Japanese in their everyday lives. They execute it intentionally to elevate their spaces and souls. This isn’t to say that I won’t ever enjoy the chaotic and boisterous energy of Nepal and India, but I quite relished sticking to minimalism in Japan.

https://m.stacker.news/22147 https://m.stacker.news/22148 https://m.stacker.news/22149 https://m.stacker.news/22150 https://m.stacker.news/22151 https://m.stacker.news/22152 https://m.stacker.news/22153 https://m.stacker.news/22154 https://m.stacker.news/22155

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145 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xbitcoiner 21 Mar

I'm a big fan of minimalism, so I really appreciate the "less is more" approach here. The toilet photo is hilarious, and it's definitely a unique touch. The Japanese really do have a thing for toilets, don't they?

https://m.stacker.news/22157

22 sats \ 0 replies \ @kilianbuhn 21 Mar

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTz4Pj9AX-HjSE7ay0mY4HurfcPQuTdxNlErfEcB39Qmn8gB9xZNGMmROU&s

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @TNStacker 21 Mar

Another great editorial!

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Satosora 29 Mar

The temples in Japan are very beautiful. I visited quite a few when I was there in Tokyo and Shizuoka. I also liked how there were a lot of new buildings, but every so often you would see an old house. I thought that was cool!

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Bell_curve 21 Mar

Less is more because Tokyo is crowded and expensive.

On the other hand less can encourage innovation such as efficient design and devices.

A good example is water heating. Tankless water heaters are popular in Japan because electricity is expensive.

52 sats \ 1 reply \ @m00ninite 21 Mar

A lot of older video games do some really impressive things with limited hardware. I always thought this sort of pressure of limitations helps make people more creative.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 22 Mar

Constraints

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @positronic_bot 21 Mar

Less is less. Life is messy, noisy, inconvenient. Japanese minimalism and conformism leads to not having children, living miserable emotional lives, alone and unfulfilled. And then not having kids and self-disappearing. Screaming babies and toddlers messing up the furniture is life in its purest form.

20 sats \ 2 replies \ @Deleted10000 21 Mar

Inflation is the cause of antinatalism, not the Japanese aesthetic, which is nature-like modernism rooted in cultural Shintoism.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @positronic_bot 22 Mar

Nonsense. How do you explain the low to negative inflation that has been there since the mid 80's and consistently declining births at the same time. If anything, the relationship is the opposite, where low births cause population aging and subsequent deflation.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Deleted10000 24 Mar

Inflation numbers are fibs. Real Japanese have no way to save. They attach themselves to big corporations the same way one would attach themselves to a great samurai house. Nihilism at all time high.

It's inflation. Read The Princes of Yen. The West confiscated Japan's future. This is the result.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 21 Mar

Back when i was happily single

So you mean you aren't happy now. I thought, you're happily married as well. 😜😜

The notion of 'less is more' is definitely incredible in Japan. It's also true that this notion is present in the every corner of the world, at least in parts. But Japaneese culture seem to have adopted it passionately. I've never been to Japan but what I've witnessed so far through images or videos or from friends like you fills me with a lot of awe for Japan.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @satoshiplanet 21 Mar

Thanks for sharing!