Blink.

In preparation for my trip to Japan in May, I've had several discussions with my professor regarding cultural perceptions. The one thing I now look forward to learning more about is the idea of impermanence that pervades the entire Japanese culture. Verbs usually emphasize travel, movement from A to B to C and so on. Personal space, unlike Western cultures, is derived simply from fleeting moments in time...you must capture them yourself, savor them and everything within them. Instead of closing doors, shutting blinds, and literally caging yourself in, you have to use nothing but your own senses and your own mind. Housing itself, traditionally, is not permanent; sliding doors and screens take the place of solid walls, futons roll up and are stored away during the day, and most furnishings can be shifted around easily. Personal possessions are almost always passed on from one person to another. It seems to be a culture of fleeting moments, but each is bursting with sensory accumulation and introspective insight. An increasingly appealing outlook if you ask me...