‘Brand in Mokum’

As former generations used to sing in the Netherlands ‘brand in Mokum’ (fire in Amsterdam), in Kyoto it’s a real issue to avoid fire with so many wooden houses and temples. Nearly all the temples have been rebuild after a

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‘Brand in Mokum’

As former generations used to sing in the Netherlands ‘brand in Mokum’ (fire in Amsterdam), in Kyoto it’s a real issue to avoid fire with so many wooden houses and temples. Nearly all the temples have been rebuild after a

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Walking smoke

While waiting at the entrance of the Doshisha University I made this picture. not very elegant figure with a huge cigarette. When the person I was waiting for arrived, he told me it was a sign for not smoking while

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Walking smoke

While waiting at the entrance of the Doshisha University I made this picture. not very elegant figure with a huge cigarette. When the person I was waiting for arrived, he told me it was a sign for not smoking while

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Infographics (1)

For the last two weeks I’ve been diving into the Machiya: the tradition, the structure, the dwellers. I try to understand a little bit about the Kyoto culture in relation to the Machiya, but everything is so interwoven with each

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Infographics (1)

For the last two weeks I’ve been diving into the Machiya: the tradition, the structure, the dwellers. I try to understand a little bit about the Kyoto culture in relation to the Machiya, but everything is so interwoven with each

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Special guest

Life in a Machiya is not always fun. Yesterday night when I was reading in bed, I heard some strange scrabbling. The girl upstairs told me yesterday that she has a leaking roof, but that couldn’t happen on my floor.

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Special guest

Life in a Machiya is not always fun. Yesterday night when I was reading in bed, I heard some strange scrabbling. The girl upstairs told me yesterday that she has a leaking roof, but that couldn’t happen on my floor.

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Tradition revisited

During the two weeks I’m in Kyoto I try to figure out why there’s such a big gap between tradition and modernity in every aspect of life in Kyoto/Japan. Sometimes reading Alex Kerr (Lost Japan or Dog and Demons) helps

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Tradition revisited

During the two weeks I’m in Kyoto I try to figure out why there’s such a big gap between tradition and modernity in every aspect of life in Kyoto/Japan. Sometimes reading Alex Kerr (Lost Japan or Dog and Demons) helps

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Looking and seeing (2)

Through our eyes we can look and observe the world around us. Sometimes we use a painting, filmscreen or photo to focus on what we should see and avoid the noise around it. Three years ago I saw the work

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Looking and seeing (2)

Through our eyes we can look and observe the world around us. Sometimes we use a painting, filmscreen or photo to focus on what we should see and avoid the noise around it. Three years ago I saw the work

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lifestyle/lifetime

Taniguchi (professor at the Doshisha University) explained me one of the first days about living in a traditional japanese house. In a traditional house everything in life is takes place in the same room: day: living, eating, sleeping, all in

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lifestyle/lifetime

Taniguchi (professor at the Doshisha University) explained me one of the first days about living in a traditional japanese house. In a traditional house everything in life is takes place in the same room: day: living, eating, sleeping, all in

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Rebuilded Machiya in Boston

Ellie told me that there’s a Machiya transported to the Boston Children’s Museum. I found on the website images where it looked like ‘Alice in Wonderland’. This Machiya has been taken apart in Kyoto and was rebuild by Japanese carpenters

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Rebuilded Machiya in Boston

Ellie told me that there’s a Machiya transported to the Boston Children’s Museum. I found on the website images where it looked like ‘Alice in Wonderland’. This Machiya has been taken apart in Kyoto and was rebuild by Japanese carpenters

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Looking and seeing

Culture reveals itself slowly. Every day you see new things, although your eye must have seen them before. Only when you make connections, references, relationships you can communicate and understand better the things you’ve seen. This first week is a

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Looking and seeing

Culture reveals itself slowly. Every day you see new things, although your eye must have seen them before. Only when you make connections, references, relationships you can communicate and understand better the things you’ve seen. This first week is a

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Body and space

Kenya Hara states in his ‘house vision’ that the form of the sliding doors are more determined by the body than by the space. It’s the mentality that lives in a space that allows one to engage with the world

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Body and space

Kenya Hara states in his ‘house vision’ that the form of the sliding doors are more determined by the body than by the space. It’s the mentality that lives in a space that allows one to engage with the world

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