Curiously, many of those images seemed to be opposing each other, they didn't seem to be part of the same environment, like they don't belong together, but still coexist and are seen as normal for the japanese people, while struck me as, at least, remarkable . For example, it can be seen in the constant struggle between modernization and conservation, the old and the new Japan, where homes jammed in narrow streets vary from old, with tatami three-generation family wooden houses to large, new buildings with several dozens of one-room apartments, suited for single people, students, salaryman with their home elsewhere and the like.
This can be seen in many places, but perhaps more clearly in Kyoto, where shrines and temples are integrated sacred spaces in the modern landscape, full of little shops, malls and traffic jams. Some are separated through symbolic 鳥居 (tori, shinto shrine archway), which clearly delimitates the change of environment, and some others constitute more hidden, subliminal details that, if paid attention to, can raise more than one alarm.
In the left, The Sanjusangendo Temple, or Temple of the Thousand Buddhas, that was originally finishes in 1164, though reconstructed many times since, and two benchs situated just in front of it, with the clear branding of "Cocacola" on both sides.
While still confused by some of this elements, thruth is that this sort of curiosities, contradictions and little details just continue to add to my previous amazement regarding Japan, and every new experience and reflection I get about it exceeds each other, making this country more appealing day by day.
When I first came to Japan I, too, was struck by the co-existence of old and new. I would like to read how you are seeing Japan now after 6 months. What has changed?
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