The Japanese Juxtaposition

I had the pleasure of visiting a craft and design market today, down near the harbour in Fukuoka. Alongside hundreds of keen and crafty housewives, I embarked on exploring over 400 stalls of every kind of card you could possibly imagine.

From knitting and patchwork, to miniatures and fake flower making, from beautifully handcrafted wooden toys, to traditional Japanese decorations and fabrics. The event even included catwalk style fashion shows by students, and workshops in almost everything you could think of. I was once again struck by how much of a functioning oxymoron Japan is. This isn't a criticism, in fact I love how unique it makes this country, and I admire how seamlessly the new sits alongside the old. It was optimised at this market - stunning antique kimono sitting alongside crocheted outfits for dogs and classes on how to make plastic cakes.

Yet the Japanese don't seem to notice this strange juxtaposition. And why would they? The pristine kimono-clad granny on the train whips a smart phone out of her obi and shoots off a text.

The local temple, beautifully maintained, brushes shoulders with an intense, flashing pachinko parlour and an electronics store stocking gadgets which don't exist yet for the rest of the world.

Is this not a prime example of evolution? Perhaps as a visitor I don't see all the problems that come with this sort of bipolar existence. Certainly from the outside, it's what makes Japan so intensely interesting and charmingly bizarre.