Yes, Japan is Back

Saihoji Garden in Kyoto

We (well at least Zen and I!) freely admit Japan is our favorite, most compelling destination in the world. Bev, Zen and I are heartened that normalcy is returning to this inscrutable land, despite the devastation and suffering of March 11.

Despite our many travels to Japan, there always seems to be an impenetrable veil in truly understanding this wonderful land. As David Pillig noted, "in almost every aspect of life in Japan from sumo wrestling and tea ceremony to business, one has a feeling of something other than itself, beyond itself." A big part of Japan's uniqueness is its wabi-sabi aesthetic. Wabi-sabi represents the Japanese worldview emphasizing simplicity and purity. You may think of wabi-sabi as a spiritual longing, the beauty of all things humble, unpretentious ephemeral and imperfect. In contrast to our Western celebration of perfection, permanence, symmetry, and bravado, wabi-sabi exalts imperfection, impermanence, asymmetry and humility. Many in Japan refer to wabi-sabi as a feeling of hopeful sadness - nothing lasts; nothing is perfect, nothing is ever finished.

The pervasive Japanese spirit of jishuku has proven an indispensable asset in Japan's remarkable recovery. Although we have sent clients back to Japan over the past two months, Bev, Zen and I have not returned to Japan since 2010. We are most excited about embarking on our fifth (yes, 5!) sakura/cherry blossoms trip this April 2012.

Please click into our Kipling and Clark's 8-day Japan private luxury tour for 2012.

Steve Jobs & The Japanese Concept of Wabi-Sabi

Reading excerpts from Walter Isaacson's recent biography of Steve Jobs, I am struck by Jobs' affinity to Zen Buddhism and his strongly held belief of experiential widsom over empirical analysis. Based on his early travels to India, he felt that the people in the countryside did not use their intellect like Westerners do, but, instead, used their intuition. Wabi-sabi parallels the basic concept of Zen Buddhism in that intuitive insight is considered a more powerful force than intellectual deliberation.

Steve Jobs seems to have been a practitioner of the wabi-sabi aesthetic and worldview as he hailed the power of intuition in contrast to what he called, "Western rational thought." One wonders the true influence of Japan's unique culture on Steve Jobs and if indeed, he ever traveled to this amazing land.

--RL