We went to the Himeji Castle today with my uncle.  The castle strategically stands atop a hill, the base of which is verdant with a collection of trees.  Known as the “White Heron,” I thought the castle looked more like a Christmas tree topper, and the hill the tree, than a bird.

“it is so hot”

“why didn’t i bring sunglasses?”

Himeji Castle is one of the most famous castles in Japan, and I must say that with its strong clean lines and elegant simplicity it was indeed impressive. And about as opposite from Versailles as a royal residence could be.  There wasn’t any furniture or much of anything inside so it was hard to get a feel for what daily life inside the castle consisted of.  However, whatever lack of décor (maybe it was always like that?) there was on the inside, was made up for by the “furnishings” of the gardens around the exterior.  There were fully-dressed maple trees waiting to burst into the flames of fall, and happy little sakura (cherry blossom trees) that flock the hill in pink and white petals during the spring.  In addition there is a recently developed garden down the hill to the side of the castle, called Koko-en.  There are nine different styles of gardens within this park.  I really enjoyed walking around this garden and enjoying the miniature environments that had been created within.  Despite the hot temperature outside, it was still very peaceful to walk along the carefully planned paths amongst trees, moss, and ponds.

Japanese gardens have a natural feel about them, and this one was quite unlike the rigidly formed flower beds and pruned topiaries at Versailles.  However, if you look closely you will notice in the shape of the perfect trees and placement of each stone that a Japanese garden is in fact the result of careful planning and pruning.  The difference between the two styles of gardening is not that one is necessarily more planned or more pruned than the other.  The difference lies in the result of all this work: opposite expressions.

I think that the different styles of gardening speak for the popular generalizations we hold about the two places as well as for actual cultural differences between the two places—France vs. Japan, or, more broadly, West vs. East.  In France, the culture seeps outspokenness and the clearly evident—as can be deduced from the emphasis on fashion and art in the capital.  There the avant-garde and the celebration of bohemianism and individual expression.  In fashion, haute couture approximates the epitome of individuality.  People forwardly state: “This is what I think,” through their art and clothes.  The lines of the garden at Versailles are very deliberate; the statement made is about having the power to shape nature as man dictates.  This is what I want, so that’s how it will be.  There is no masquerading of thoughts.

In contrast, communication in Japan is often subtle, understated, and implied.  Even the fashion is like this—muted colors and earth tones dominate the safe color palette found in many Japanese wardrobes.   The fashion is by no means dull, but it is within these safe colors an individual finds flair.  Within safe words a roundabout way of expressing a personal preference may be implied.  It is still somewhat obvious, yet remains disguised in a cloak of the collective and community.  The gardening style is similar—trees forced to grow in a “natural” and pleasing way.  True, these trees look great, but how natural is it to trim and mold a tree to grow in a certain manner?   Several of the Japanese gardens I’ve seen display this “power” of creation, perhaps even more so than the French for a Japanese garden is a recreation of nature on a miniature scale.  It is audacious in its supposition that nature could be re-created.

Now, all that wasn’t what was going through my mind as I walked through the garden, but it is an interesting topic to ponder about, for a few minutes anyways.  Art and design is always categorized as a part of “culture” and sometimes it is easier to see how that all plays out when two different styles of design from two different places are compared and contrasted.

a fun feature of the castle were the family crests depicted on the roof tiles

To make up for my lack of details about the castle, here’s an odd little article with a bit more of historical-type information along with strange facts like how much the castle weighs (do you suppose that is a frequently asked question?) and terms like “man-days”…whatever those are.  A day’s worth of a man’s work?  Or a day with the guys watching the big game?