Design Thoughts from Japan
I’m baaaaaaaack! Wow, what an exciting and wonderful time we had in Japan! There is so much to share with you all. It was a time for family, food, drink, sights, sounds, and unforgettable experiences. Did I bring you something back? Of course I did! You know I wouldn’t forget about my favorite followers just because I travelled to the future (Japan is 16 hours ahead of my normal U.S. Pacific Time zone). My gifts to you, which will spread across a number of blogs and YouTube videos, include images I’m confident will beguile and inspire you and design-related observations I hope will help you see new options from a new perspective.
The first design element that made an impact with me immediately and throughout the journey is arguably my favorite design element, color.
Color
This was the view right across the street from our first hotel in Koenji, Tokyo. Notice how neutral the buildings are compared to signage and ads.
Inside the restaurants and stores, color is EVERYWHERE! So different from outside.
One of the many shopping/restaurant galleries located in all the neighborhoods, all over Tokyo.
Businesses use a lot of color to attract customers to their stores and restaurants.
These statues were being prepared to use in a parade. The picture doesn’t do them justice but they were quite large and heavy and would be carried in the parade by about 8 men. The colors in this and a couple of other statues were very bold and bright!
From hotel rooms and subway stations to temples and shrines, repetition is the second design element on my mind in Japan.
Repetition
This moat surrounded property in Kyoto that still has on it a castle built in 1603. Even the retaining walls show repetition in their design.
Tokyo Station was built in 1914. Found in the heart of Tokyo, it is surrounded by a lot of modern skyscrapers. The contrast of the old with the new is very interesting to see. You can see the repetition very clearly in this photo that was used in its design.
This is the ceiling structure of the Kyoto Train Station. All through this huge complex, repetition is evident everywhere. It has a very modern, industrial feel to it.
Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto has hundreds of these gates that follow a path up to the main shrine. The repetition in design is quite obvious here.
Even in our hotel lobby in Tokyo, you can see how important repetition is in the design. Rectangles are used throughout the hotel in various forms giving the space a modern, open feel.
Final Thoughts
Design originates in nature. And as you can see from some of the photos I’ve shared, it transcends time and place. I loved seeing how a different culture put to use the same elements I’ve encountered my entire life but it a different way than I’ve ever seen before. It also hit home that the concept “form follows function” is universal across space and time. Different areas of the world have had to solve problems, live and survive in ways unique to their people throughout history. There are countless functions and countless forms that follow them. I hope you enjoyed my first “gift” to you and stay tuned for more blogs and videos to come from my trip of a lifetime!
Now, what will you do next to love where you live?
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