1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,680 This is an ordinary Japanese home... 2 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,200 ..but every day it produces something extraordinary. 3 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:27,920 I'd like to introduce you to my lunch. 4 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,360 This is a bento box. 5 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:31,840 Now, it's said that in Japan, 6 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,840 you eat with your eyes. It's really, really important to appreciate 7 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,680 the appearance of what you're about to consume. 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,560 And, what's more, this bento box even carries meaning. 9 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:45,360 Its theme is Japan's favourite season - spring. 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,160 So, these little things are cut into the shape of cherry blossoms 11 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:51,080 and there are a number of vegetables including this rape blossom 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,840 that only come out in the springtime. 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,840 So this little bento box is almost like a work of art. 14 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,080 It's got technique, it's got form, 15 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,400 it's got meaning, it's got symbolism, 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,200 and it's almost too beautiful to eat. 17 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,800 In Japan, much of domestic life is informed by aesthetics. 18 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,480 The home itself can be a work of the imagination... 19 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,520 ..and many of the activities that take place inside it 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,760 are performed with precision and grace. 21 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,440 The modern world was thought to have destroyed 22 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,080 the ancient Japanese art of life, 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,520 but beauty still abounds... 24 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,920 ..as artists reinvent these old traditions for a new era. 25 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,080 But the Japanese house has also influenced the West. 26 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,800 It helped create modern architecture as we know it... 27 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,800 ..and transformed how many of us live today. 28 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,960 Japan has a population of 127 million people. 29 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,040 It is one of the most densely inhabited places in the world. 30 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:38,320 And the vast majority of people live in endless cities, in small flats. 31 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:45,880 But it wasn't always like this. 32 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:55,560 100 years ago, 85% of Japan's population lived in the countryside, 33 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:57,400 and they had done for centuries. 34 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,000 Most of their rural homes are long gone. 35 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:08,360 But a few remain. 36 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:18,760 Miyama is one of Japan's last surviving traditional villages. 37 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,800 And these are minka - 38 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,520 vernacular houses once lived in by most of Japan's people. 39 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:34,760 These minka might look rustic, 40 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,560 but they're actually an amazing piece of technology, 41 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,480 designed to combat the extremes of the Japanese climate. 42 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,440 The thatched roofs are steep enough to wash away the heavy summer rains 43 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:46,720 and the winter snows, 44 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,360 and the buildings have been lifted off the ground 45 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,320 to create as much ventilation as possible during the hotter 46 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:54,360 and more humid months of the year. 47 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,360 And Japan's geography even dictated the way they were built. 48 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:04,720 One of the defining features of this village, 49 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,800 and indeed much of Japan's traditional architecture, 50 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:09,560 is the abundance of wood. 51 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:11,840 It's absolutely everywhere. 52 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,080 There are at least two reasons for that. 53 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,640 The first reason is that wood is plentiful in Japan, 54 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,080 while stone, which is mostly volcanic here, 55 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,240 is too hard to build with. 56 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,440 The second reason, and this is a little bit morbid I'm afraid, 57 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,440 is that on the whole, wooden houses are safer. 58 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:30,880 Yes, they're more likely to burn down, 59 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,480 but they're less likely to crush their occupants 60 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,000 in the event of an earthquake 61 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,440 and easier to reassemble in its aftermath. 62 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,880 But though Japan's traditional house builders took up woodworking 63 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,720 for practical reasons, they very quickly turned it into an art form. 64 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,160 In fact, Japanese craftspeople pioneered 65 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:55,000 a consummate form of carpentry unequalled in the West. 66 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:01,720 And were able to construct whole houses without screws, 67 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:03,360 nails or glue. 68 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:07,360 Just ingenious techniques. 69 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:15,800 These techniques are still in use today... 70 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:21,840 ..here at Nakamura Yoshiyaki's workshop in Kyoto. 71 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,960 Nakamura is one of Japan's most respected sukiya-daiku, 72 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:30,960 or master carpenters. 73 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,480 To become a sukiya-daiku, 74 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:41,240 one must master a complex code, combining ethics and practicalities. 75 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:46,640 It's even present in the way a carpenter uses his tools. 76 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:41,160 Respect is a cornerstone of the sukiya-daiku's philosophy, 77 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,960 and it also applies to materials. 78 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,640 In Japan, wood is more than a commodity. 79 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:52,240 According to Shinto, it comes from a living, even sacred organism, 80 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,800 and has to be treated with reverence. 81 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,040 Nakamura and his carpenters teach this philosophy to 82 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:00,840 the younger generations. 83 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:04,920 Each apprentice trains for five years. 84 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:09,840 Through often menial tasks, 85 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,320 they learn the correct attitude and techniques. 86 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,360 In Japan, people talk a lot about the spirit of the shokunin, 87 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,480 the spirit of the craftsman, or artisan, 88 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:52,280 and that spirit is abundantly clear here in Mr Nakamura's workshop. 89 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:56,480 The men are working with such precision and focus. 90 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,880 They are measuring and re-measuring and re-measuring again 91 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:06,720 to get everything just right. 92 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:10,280 And perhaps most surprisingly of all, 93 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:12,240 they are working in almost total silence. 94 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,160 There's no chitchat, there are no jokes, 95 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,760 there is unbelievable concentration on the work at hand. 96 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:23,920 And I get a real sense here of a deference, of a pride, 97 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,640 in belonging to a grand old tradition of carpentry 98 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:32,320 and house-building that goes back way into the Japanese past. 99 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:46,080 One of Japan's finest surviving homes can be found in Yokohama, 100 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:48,160 on the outskirts of Tokyo. 101 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:53,800 This is Rinshunkaku. 102 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:02,920 It was built in 1649 by a samurai lord called Yorinobu Tokugawa. 103 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,240 The owner's main residence was a fortified castle 104 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,400 filled with armaments, but when he wasn't working, 105 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,160 he'd come here to his fantasy home. 106 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:17,600 This was his refuge, 107 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:22,120 a place for contemplation and aesthetic reflection. 108 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:23,400 But looking at it today, 109 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,680 you know what I find most striking about it, is its modesty. 110 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:28,720 At exactly the same time, 111 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,360 European rulers were building these vast baroque palaces, 112 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,080 and this, by contrast, is so humble. 113 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,640 In fact, the only outward sign of extravagance is the second storey, 114 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,200 which was almost unheard of in Japan at the time. 115 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,280 It's clear where this house got its inspiration. 116 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:57,320 The low eaves, the wood, the way it's raised up from the ground - 117 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,080 it refers back to the minka of Japan's rural past. 118 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,680 Refined and elaborated. 119 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:12,400 But the real beauty lies inside. 120 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,760 It is influenced by the simple aesthetic of Zen Buddhism. 121 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:25,840 And it contains all the ingredients of 122 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,080 the traditional Japanese interior. 123 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,160 The rooms are open-plan and free from clutter. 124 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,840 The exterior walls are shoji screens, 125 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:46,040 whose paper surfaces infuse the home with soft otherworldly light. 126 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,280 The floors are tatami, 127 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:56,640 rice straw mats that dictate the size and proportions of every room. 128 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:03,240 But the most important feature of this house is almost invisible. 129 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,920 It is a unique Japanese concept known as ma. 130 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,840 Ma is of fundamental importance to Japanese aesthetics, 131 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,880 and its way of life. 132 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,200 It refers to the negative spaces between things. 133 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,680 The most obvious example of ma is silence. 134 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:27,000 If I were to pause... 135 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,880 ..midway through this sentence, we might find it unsettling. 136 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,920 But in Japanese thought, that gap, that interval, 137 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:38,760 is just as full and just as full of meaning as 138 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,680 the words that surround it. 139 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:44,640 Now, ma appears in many Japanese art forms, it appears in painting 140 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,680 and calligraphy, in drama and in martial arts, 141 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:51,040 but it's also present in Japanese homes, 142 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,560 and Rinshunkaku is full of it. 143 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,000 Just look around 144 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,920 and you'll find negative space everywhere. 145 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,120 Rinshunkaku's floor plan is endlessly flexible. 146 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:27,280 Partitions slide behind one another to open up the rooms. 147 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,920 Even the outside walls are movable. 148 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:42,720 The effect is one continuous space, and it extends even to the outdoors. 149 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,600 Light, functional, versatile, 150 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,160 Rinshunkaku is a lesson in domestic design. 151 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,120 And houses like it have profoundly influenced modern architecture 152 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,840 in the West, in the work of architects 153 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:12,360 and designers like Frank Lloyd Wright... 154 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,480 ..Charles and Ray Eames... 155 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,960 Walter Gropius... 156 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:22,720 and Le Corbusier. 157 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,120 When modernist architects and designers first encountered 158 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,960 traditional Japanese houses, they were astonished. 159 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:36,840 As far as they were concerned, this was modernist architecture 160 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,840 that just happened to be hundreds of years old. 161 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,480 And of course, today, open-plan living, 162 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:46,760 minimalist interiors and clean, simple lines have become 163 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:50,320 the very principles of 21st-century living, 164 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:55,440 but those principles were pioneered centuries ago in houses like these. 165 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,080 Amid all this minimalism, 166 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:08,560 one place in the Japanese home was reserved for extravagance... 167 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,520 ..and was dedicated to decoration. 168 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,400 It was known as the tokonoma. 169 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,520 It might look like an empty recess, 170 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,840 but this alcove was once the heart of the Japanese home. 171 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,240 The owner of the property would sit here, 172 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,240 and was therefore framed by his tokonoma. 173 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:38,720 But his tokonoma would also be the stage set 174 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,400 for some carefully selected objects. 175 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:49,080 The tokonoma would include a scroll, often with calligraphy... 176 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,680 ..and it would be joined by a simple floral arrangement... 177 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:05,760 ..which had to be just so... 178 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,960 ..because this was an art form in its own right - 179 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:13,280 ikebana. 180 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,400 Many Japanese people are obsessed with flower arranging. 181 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,120 Because ikebana is not only a hobby, 182 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,680 but a highly personal form of expression. 183 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:10,000 A popular art form of domestic life, 184 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,000 there are over 1,000 ikebana schools in Japan today. 185 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,880 But its origins lie in religion. 186 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:26,360 It started here at Shiunzan Chohoji Temple in Kyoto. 187 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:30,960 In the 15th century, 188 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,520 it was the home of a Buddhist monk called Senkei Ikenobo. 189 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,240 Ikenobo was responsible for arranging offerings to the Buddha... 190 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,360 ..and he was particularly enamoured of flowers. 191 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,560 On 25th of February, 1462, 192 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,640 Senkei Ikenobo made a very special flower arrangement. 193 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,080 It was a complex freestanding construction 194 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,640 of about a dozen different flowers in a golden vase, 195 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,120 and it was replete with symbolism. 196 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:11,680 Now, apparently it caused something of a stir. 197 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,520 In fact, the people of Kyoto flocked to the temple 198 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:16,760 simply in order to get a look at it. 199 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,480 We don't know exactly what the flowers looked like, 200 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,280 but Senkei Ikenobo did leave us some clues. 201 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,600 This is a really quite special document. 202 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:38,160 It's a five-metre long scroll that dates back to the 1480s, 1490s. 203 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,560 And for years it was locked away and hidden away from sight. 204 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,800 Its contents were known as the secret transmissions 205 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,000 and were passed only from one master to the next. 206 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,120 Even today, no-one is entirely sure of its exact meaning. 207 00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:55,960 But this part of the scroll seems to offer us a glimpse of 208 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,960 the very earliest ikebana creations. 209 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:02,040 They are, of course, beautiful drawings, 210 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:03,960 and they're perfectly preserved, 211 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,160 but what's so fascinating about them is 212 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,760 the text around them reveals how each one of these arrangements 213 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:11,560 served a different function 214 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:15,320 and captured a different moment in people's lives. 215 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,400 So, this one on the left is called a farewell flower. 216 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,280 It's an arrangement you make when you're saying goodbye 217 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,440 to a family member or a friend or a colleague. 218 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,440 And this one on the right is pretty much the opposite. 219 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:29,200 It's called a waiting flower, 220 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:31,080 and it's something you make when 221 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,360 you're waiting for a loved one to return. 222 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:35,320 And this final arrangement, 223 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:38,560 this was made to celebrate a young person becoming a monk. 224 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:42,600 There is still much to be learned from this document, 225 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:44,520 but I think it makes clear that 226 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,280 ikebana was not simply flower arranging, 227 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:52,080 it was a subtle and elusive medium that was all about expressing 228 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,560 the joys and the hardships of life. 229 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,960 And over 500 years of history, 230 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,480 practitioners of ikebana have attempted to master it. 231 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,160 This is Manabu Noda. 232 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:16,760 He may look like a bank manager, 233 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,800 but he is one of Japan's most respected ikebana masters. 234 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,240 Students come to Ikenobo from around the world 235 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,680 to see him work wonders with flowers. 236 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,840 There are very specific guidelines about looking at ikebana. 237 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:46,760 You position yourself here, one tatami mat back from the tokonoma, 238 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,480 and it's very, very important that you are face-to-face with 239 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:53,720 the arrangement. You can't be looking at it from the sides. 240 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,480 Anyway, once you have your position, take a breath... 241 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,160 ..compose yourself and then you can begin to look. 242 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,560 And you have to begin by looking at the very base of the arrangement. 243 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,760 You're looking specifically at the point at which 244 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,560 the plants first emerge from the water. 245 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,840 Now, that's a really, really important part of ikebana. 246 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,640 It's known as the mizugiwa, the water's edge, 247 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,800 and that is the origin of life itself. 248 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,120 Anyway, once you've meditated and reflected on that, 249 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:26,920 then you begin to raise your head and follow the line of 250 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:30,440 the plants upwards and upwards and upwards 251 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:32,800 until you reach the very top. 252 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,840 And when you reach the very top, take another breath... 253 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:43,840 ..and then you can begin to appreciate 254 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,840 the arrangement in its entirety. 255 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,440 It consists of three plants. 256 00:23:58,440 --> 00:23:59,720 Japanese iris... 257 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:04,680 ..spiraea and green maple. 258 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,200 They've been chosen because of the season, 259 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:13,640 reflecting a specific moment when late spring turns into early summer. 260 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,320 The composition of this piece is absolutely fantastic. 261 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,840 It's all about visual harmony, 262 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,240 so there is harmony between the different colours, 263 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,400 between the purples and the whites and the greens, 264 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:29,000 there's harmony between straight lines and curves, and of course, 265 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,120 there's also harmony between positive space and negative space, 266 00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:36,520 between the flowers and the ma that exists between them. 267 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,360 This is known as a shoka arrangement. 268 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:43,360 Now, shoka in Japanese means living flower. 269 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:47,760 And this arrangement really does chart the life story of a flower. 270 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,440 We see how at the beginning 271 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,240 it emerges from the ground and shoots upwards 272 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,600 and then gets affected and bent by the elements, 273 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:56,000 by the wind and the rain, 274 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,160 but it continues its journey nonetheless. 275 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,560 So, there is a real sense of a life story taking place here, 276 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,680 and I love this allusion to different stages in life. 277 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,920 So two of the irises are blooming quite beautifully, 278 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:10,960 but another one is still in bud. 279 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:12,760 And in some ways that's even more important 280 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,760 because that is about the future and is about hopes for the future. 281 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:19,320 You know, I never thought I'd say this, 282 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:22,440 but it really is quite moving to look at this arrangement 283 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,480 because, while on the surface, 284 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,800 it is all about the life story of a group of plants, 285 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,520 it's impossible not to reflect on our own lives too. 286 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:36,040 The journeys we have to make, the hardships we have to endure, 287 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:39,440 and of course, the transience of life itself. 288 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,000 Who would have thought that a group of flowers 289 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,440 could contain so much meaning? 290 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,680 But ikebana is not simply floristry. 291 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,600 It is a domestic art form full of style and symbolism. 292 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:58,320 And it's not alone. 293 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:00,840 In the traditional Japanese tokonoma, 294 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,400 ikebana is accompanied by a hanging scroll. 295 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,560 This often contains another of Japan's great ancient art forms. 296 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:11,880 Calligraphy, or shodo. 297 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:23,280 Shinochooji is a quiet neighbourhood, not far from Kyoto. 298 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:27,760 And this is the home of one of 299 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,520 the rising stars of Japanese calligraphy. 300 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,920 Every day, Tomoko Kawao practices for three or four hours, 301 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,440 copying great works by history's shodo masters. 302 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,680 To create each character, there's a set order of strokes. 303 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:10,520 A pattern that hasn't changed for millennia. 304 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,480 Tomoko is best known for her monumental works of calligraphy, 305 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,480 and it is captivating to watch her make them. 306 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:50,160 Tomoko's painting reads Shu-Ha-Ri, 307 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:55,000 a traditional phrase which describes the stages of mastering a form. 308 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:59,640 To learn, to break away and finally to transcend. 309 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,960 This is such a dynamic image. 310 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:08,880 It reminds me of a Jackson Pollock or a Franz Kline, 311 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,840 and I love the variety of marks here. 312 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:16,080 There are these big long swipes that are three or four feet long, 313 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:19,600 there are spatters and there are paint trails 314 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,400 and there are these droplets that seem to explode into a spray. 315 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:25,920 And over there, there's a huge puddle of ink 316 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,520 that hasn't even dried yet. 317 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:29,800 It's amazingly exciting to look at, 318 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,160 but this isn't simply about the image, 319 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,000 it's about the action that produces the image. 320 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,840 This is an art of the body. 321 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,720 It's about discipline, about control, about movement. 322 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:46,800 Calligraphy, of course, is an ancient art form, but in this room 323 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,600 and on this paper, it couldn't be more alive. 324 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,960 Today, most Japanese homes seem far removed from 325 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,160 the country's graceful traditions. 326 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:09,920 Everyday life may be ordered and peaceful, 327 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:11,840 but it isn't particularly Japanese. 328 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,560 Critics have claimed that people no longer care about 329 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:19,680 preserving their native traditions. 330 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:29,000 Here, at least, in Kyoto, 331 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,320 there are signs that one of Japan's everyday art forms 332 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,200 is still being embraced. 333 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:39,480 The kimono, Japan's national costume. 334 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:44,040 But these people aren't locals. 335 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:48,120 They're mostly Asian tourists who've paid vast sums of money 336 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:50,520 to play-act Japan's past. 337 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:01,800 Over the past century, Japan has had to negotiate a tricky path. 338 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,840 How to keep its heritage alive and relevant amidst 339 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,440 the perpetual change of modern life. 340 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:20,920 Since the 1950s, 341 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,720 Japan's booming population transformed 342 00:34:23,720 --> 00:34:25,720 the way its citizens lived. 343 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,520 It produced vast sprawling cities across the country, 344 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:37,600 most of them formed without any planning to speak of. 345 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,560 Much as we like to valorise the art of the Japanese home, 346 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:50,160 Japan's rapid urbanisation in the 20th century has made domestic life 347 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:52,120 extremely challenging. 348 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:57,280 In Tokyo, more than 6,000 people inhabit every square kilometre. 349 00:34:57,280 --> 00:34:59,560 And this has led to homes becoming smaller, 350 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:01,880 precisely as they become more expensive. 351 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:05,280 Barely a month goes by without a story appearing in the press 352 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,120 about young Tokyo workers living in apartments 353 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,760 that aren't much larger than coffins. 354 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:22,080 Incredibly, the average Japanese home now only lasts for 30 years. 355 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,320 Inheritance tax is so high that it's often cheaper to bulldoze 356 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,920 the family home and start again. 357 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,680 The relentless rebuilding of Japan in the post-war years 358 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:46,000 has produced vast swathes of awful architecture 359 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,160 and some really horrible homes, 360 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,880 but it's also created opportunities. 361 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,440 There are more architects per capita in Japan 362 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:55,840 than in any other country in the world. 363 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:58,000 And because of relaxed planning regulations 364 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:00,040 and severely limited space, 365 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,840 these architects have been able to take creative risks 366 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:05,000 that aren't always possible elsewhere. 367 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:19,440 And the humble home has become the ground zero of experimentation. 368 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:30,320 All sharp edges, repeated forms and concrete walls. 369 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:38,520 Even in the most sleepy neighbourhood, you'll stumble upon 370 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,560 houses that seem to have crash-landed from the future. 371 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,560 Or at least from some postmodernist textbook. 372 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,720 Some have no windows, and others, no walls. 373 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,840 But there is method in this madness. 374 00:37:00,240 --> 00:37:04,320 Japanese cities can be aggressively ugly and messy places. 375 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,240 And modern houses like this one are, I think, 376 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:08,440 part of a fight against that. 377 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:12,440 They're an attempt to make spaces that are beautiful and ordered 378 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:15,000 and peaceful amid the seemingly endless 379 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,040 urban chaos that surrounds them. 380 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:24,960 They are, in many respects, a return to the ancient lessons of Zen, 381 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,600 but crossbred with modern minimalism. 382 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:33,920 In fact, what we might call zenimalism has become a trademark 383 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:38,640 of Japan's most famous architects like Tadao Ando... 384 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:40,080 Toyo Ito... 385 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,200 ..and Kengo Kuma. 386 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:51,680 They have established zenimalism as a major national style of architecture, 387 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:55,320 and exported it to the rich and famous around the world. 388 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:03,640 But though zenimalism began with the rich, it soon reached everyone else. 389 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:08,840 A number of companies began to commercialise the new aesthetic... 390 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:13,680 ..packaging Japanese minimalism for the mass market. 391 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,680 And the most successful of them all was Muji. 392 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:28,400 Since 1980, Muji has been turning Zen into an off-the-peg commodity. 393 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:34,040 This high street nirvana proved exceptionally successful. 394 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,480 The company is now worth more than $2 billion, 395 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:42,680 and has nearly 700 stores around the world. 396 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:50,960 Its famous name is an abbreviation of mujirushi, which means no brand, 397 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:54,160 yet image is what Muji is all about. 398 00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:00,840 Its shops are decorated like luxury spas. 399 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,560 Pointless appliances are deceptively functional... 400 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:08,240 ..and products have clean lines and plain colours. 401 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:14,120 The whole thing seems modern and international... 402 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:21,440 ..but there are nods everywhere to ancient Japanese aesthetics. 403 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:29,520 This is a revealing example of the Muji aesthetic. 404 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:31,400 A bag of stones. 405 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:33,200 Now, there's nothing fancy about it. 406 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,120 The stones themselves are perfectly unremarkable, 407 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:38,800 and the packaging is almost comically restrained. 408 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:41,320 No logo, no poetic description, 409 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:43,400 just stone written in Japanese 410 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:46,120 and then of course underneath in English. 411 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,760 But though at first it seems like such a simple product, 412 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:51,720 it is in fact full of references. 413 00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:54,200 It taps into these great old Japanese ideas about 414 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:58,080 the mysteries of nature, about modesty and imperfection. 415 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:01,520 And of course, when you arrange these stones in a bowl in your home, 416 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:04,480 you are continuing a tradition that goes all the way back 417 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,480 to the great Zen rock gardens of the past. 418 00:40:12,240 --> 00:40:13,960 In much of its advertising, 419 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:18,920 Muji offers up a timeless vision of the Land Of The Rising Sun. 420 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:23,080 It also offers to bring the beauty of Zen into your home, 421 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:25,160 provided you purchase its products. 422 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:31,400 Many of us think that Muji epitomises the Japanese aesthetic, 423 00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:33,960 that it's the product of an entire people 424 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:37,560 who miraculously understand that less is more. 425 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:39,440 But Muji isn't the real Japan, 426 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:41,680 just like IKEA isn't the real Sweden 427 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:43,880 and Laura Ashley isn't the real Britain. 428 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:51,520 The real Japan is anything but Zen. 429 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,440 It's a place of urban clutter, 430 00:40:57,440 --> 00:40:59,320 exposed power cables 431 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:01,400 and small, messy homes. 432 00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:07,120 To understand these homes, 433 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:10,280 I've come to an apartment block in the heart of Tokyo 434 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,480 and to one of the great chroniclers 435 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:15,440 and champions of contemporary Japanese life. 436 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,560 Like half of all Tokyo dwellers, 437 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:26,960 photographer and journalist Kyoichi Tsuzuki 438 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:29,800 lives in a single-person apartment, 439 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:33,440 where one space is used for several different functions - 440 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:36,920 living, working and sleeping. 441 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:41,640 Not to mention storage. 442 00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:47,720 But Kyoichi is one of the lucky ones. 443 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:51,560 It's not uncommon for a family of four to live in a space this size. 444 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:56,720 It's a long way from the fantasy adverts of Muji. 445 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:02,720 When a lot of Western people in particular think of Japanese homes, 446 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:04,960 they think of tatami mats... 447 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,400 Yeah. ..and shoji screen and Zen and minimalism. 448 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:09,960 Yeah. What do you think about that conception? 449 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:14,120 It's quite a bit embarrassing, I think, no? 450 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:17,760 It's just because we think of British lifestyle is like 451 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:20,880 Downton Abbey or something, you know. 452 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:24,280 So, it's not real at all. 453 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:25,840 Fake news, you know? 454 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:27,280 Fake news. Yeah. 455 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:32,360 For over 25 years, 456 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,920 Kyoichi has been tirelessly documenting 457 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:36,720 the homes of Tokyo's youth. 458 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:41,840 Until recently, no-one talks about... 459 00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:45,960 ..normal people, normal life. 460 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:54,520 In Tokyo today, the average size of an apartment is 60 square metres, 461 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:57,880 the equivalent of 36 tatami mats. 462 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:01,480 For example, you know, this is a typical... 463 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,720 Tokyo apartment... 464 00:43:04,720 --> 00:43:07,480 like you... So, is this all one apartment? 465 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:09,360 Yeah, it's all one apartment. 466 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:12,800 Do you remember the person who lived here? Was it a student or...? 467 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:17,280 He was a... He was a young, cartoon, manga artist. 468 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:21,360 You know, whenever I go to those apartments, I just tell them, 469 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:23,840 don't try to clean up, you know. 470 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:27,120 I want to see as you live. 471 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:30,560 Yes. I feel like I'm showing like a dark outside of Tokyo. 472 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:38,400 In his seminal 1993 book, Tokyo: A Certain Style, 473 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:41,880 Kyoichi photographed portraits of 100 people, 474 00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:44,880 not by capturing their faces, but their flats. 475 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:50,640 In doing so, he documented the lives of ordinary city dwellers 476 00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:52,680 who'd been largely ignored. 477 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:58,080 This is a house... 478 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:02,520 of a guy who is a music critic. 479 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:05,240 You go into a small path, 480 00:44:05,240 --> 00:44:10,480 and there's a really old Japanese-style house, you know. 481 00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:12,960 Really cheap. Wow! 482 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:14,840 Look at that. Yeah. Oh, my gosh! 483 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:17,760 So... He needs some more shelves, doesn't he? 484 00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:19,680 I know, I know. 485 00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:22,080 The shelving is already full, you know... 486 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:26,720 Yeah. So, he has to just pile his new CDs all the time, no? 487 00:44:26,720 --> 00:44:28,360 But, what...? 488 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:31,160 What's going to happen when he needs, like, this one, 489 00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:33,320 and he has to grab the bottom one? 490 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:40,080 You talk about empty space. 491 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:41,880 There's that word - ma. 492 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:43,760 Ma. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 493 00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:45,800 You didn't see much of it in your travels. 494 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:48,080 No, no. 495 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:50,520 There's no space for ma, I think. 496 00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:53,720 No space for space. No space for space, exactly. 497 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:58,120 To traditional critics, 498 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:02,440 these homes epitomised all that was wrong with modern Japanese life. 499 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:08,600 We forget that Zen attitude or philosophy 500 00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:11,920 and we lost our classic aesthetics and everything, 501 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:17,280 so it was so negative point of view towards... 502 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:21,080 modern life, and I wanted to change that. 503 00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:25,480 I met a young DJ wannabe. 504 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,080 He lives in that four and a half tatami room. 505 00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:30,440 So, this is all one room? 506 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:32,520 Yeah, yeah. Three metres squared. 507 00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:35,200 That's his...? The entire floor space would be...? 508 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:39,240 One metre. But, you know, there is a famous saying in Zen, 509 00:45:39,240 --> 00:45:44,240 that you need only a half tatami to meditate. 510 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:48,200 Only one tatami to sleep, 511 00:45:48,200 --> 00:45:50,760 so more than that is just a luxury. 512 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:59,200 Kyoichi's work documents a fascinating urban phenomenon. 513 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,800 Within the confines of tiny spaces, 514 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:04,040 people have found remarkable freedom. 515 00:46:05,240 --> 00:46:08,920 Plundering East and West, old and new, 516 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:13,280 their magpie aesthetic has produced a style that both is 517 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:17,080 and isn't Japanese, and seems genuinely democratic. 518 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:24,000 I mean, going into a rich people's place is not interesting at all, no? 519 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,800 Because it's Zen, it's not their lifestyle, 520 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:29,360 it's a decorator's lifestyle, no? 521 00:46:29,360 --> 00:46:31,680 Or a architect's lifestyle. 522 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:37,160 Because minimalism is to hide your personality, so I was... 523 00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:41,520 I was really into going to, you know, poor kids' apartments 524 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:45,120 because let's show us their lifestyle. 525 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:48,240 There's no closet, no? 526 00:46:48,240 --> 00:46:52,000 So you see the wall, you know, you see what they are wearing. 527 00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:05,000 Small places is a representation of people's life. 528 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:06,520 Everyday life, I think. 529 00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:17,160 In the course of my journey, 530 00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:19,920 I've discovered different types of Japanese home. 531 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:26,680 Traditional and modern, minimalist and maximalist. 532 00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:29,960 But in a remote and mountainous part of Nagano, 533 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:34,640 one architect is building houses like no-one else. 534 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:37,440 His name is Terunobu Fujimori. 535 00:47:39,120 --> 00:47:42,400 Fujimori isn't a conventional architect. 536 00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:46,320 In fact, he only started designing buildings in his 40s, 537 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:50,960 and he runs his practice, if we can call it a practice, like few others. 538 00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:54,760 For years, many of his projects were completed not by professionals, 539 00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:58,400 but by a gaggle of friends, including a novelist, 540 00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:01,080 a sake brewer, a publisher, and a priest. 541 00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:04,080 Now, it might sound like the start of a bad joke, 542 00:48:04,080 --> 00:48:07,240 but the results, when they came, were spectacular. 543 00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:15,800 On a small patch of land behind his house 544 00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:18,320 is one of his most bizarre creations. 545 00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:28,040 This is the flying mud boathouse. 546 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:30,720 Oh! 547 00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:35,240 One of Fujimori's fantastical teahouses. 548 00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:39,280 Wow! 549 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:41,320 So cosy in here! Yeah, yeah, yeah! 550 00:48:42,720 --> 00:48:43,920 Oh. 551 00:48:46,040 --> 00:48:47,760 This is great. Good. 552 00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:51,240 Have a cup of tea. Yeah. 553 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:56,520 This bowl is my favourite. 554 00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:58,920 This is your favourite? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 555 00:49:00,800 --> 00:49:02,120 Please. I get the... 556 00:49:02,120 --> 00:49:04,880 I get your favourite? Yeah, yeah. Oh, thank you very much! 557 00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:12,960 Delicious. Delicious. 558 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:15,760 Very strong. Yeah, too strong! 559 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:20,800 Fujimori's style may be eccentric, 560 00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,840 but it's grounded in some of Japan's oldest beliefs. 561 00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:04,280 Growing up in the countryside, 562 00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:09,440 Fujimori spent his childhood tending the trees in the nearby forest, 563 00:50:09,440 --> 00:50:11,800 but the trees provided more than timber. 564 00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:15,520 Childhood baseball. 565 00:50:15,520 --> 00:50:17,160 The ball and the bat. 566 00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:29,520 One, two, three. 567 00:50:32,680 --> 00:50:34,000 Oh, no! 568 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:39,120 When Fujimori grew up, he didn't become an architect, 569 00:50:39,120 --> 00:50:41,520 but an eminent architectural historian. 570 00:50:43,360 --> 00:50:46,800 He might never have built a thing, but in 1989, 571 00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:50,680 he was asked by the people of his village to design a museum, 572 00:50:50,680 --> 00:50:53,160 dedicated to an ancient Shinto shrine. 573 00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:20,600 Inspired by the region's natural surroundings, 574 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:24,720 Fujimori wanted to channel Japan's prehistoric past. 575 00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:48,800 His first building left most people baffled. 576 00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:06,920 But there were some sympathisers. 577 00:52:08,520 --> 00:52:13,440 Young architects of his generation, like Toyo Ito and Tadao Ando. 578 00:52:27,120 --> 00:52:29,320 Commissions weren't forthcoming, 579 00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:34,200 so Fujimori designed a spectacular house for himself. 580 00:52:58,160 --> 00:53:01,880 Dandelion House was the first in a series of buildings 581 00:53:01,880 --> 00:53:04,360 sprouting all manner of plant life. 582 00:53:05,720 --> 00:53:07,080 Leeks. 583 00:53:09,160 --> 00:53:10,920 Grass. 584 00:53:12,680 --> 00:53:14,240 Even trees. 585 00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:20,000 With these buildings, 586 00:53:20,000 --> 00:53:23,640 Fujimori hoped to bring nature back into Japanese homes. 587 00:54:22,520 --> 00:54:25,760 But Fujimori has created a high-rise of his own... 588 00:54:28,680 --> 00:54:31,560 ..though it looks like it was dreamed up by Lewis Carroll 589 00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:33,040 or Studio Ghibli. 590 00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:39,880 This is the Too High Teahouse. 591 00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:49,520 Only 2.2 metres wide, this is a house on a truly human scale. 592 00:54:57,240 --> 00:54:59,280 The gilded lantern in the ceiling 593 00:54:59,280 --> 00:55:01,640 turns the whole place golden at sunset. 594 00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:13,960 And the window overlooks his beloved hometown 595 00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:16,360 and his first work of architecture. 596 00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:27,840 Though this building belongs to a great Japanese tradition, 597 00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:32,520 it taps into something far more universal and far more human. 598 00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:35,200 And I love how personal this building is. 599 00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:40,440 I love the fact that it was tailored to the size of Fujimori's own body. 600 00:55:40,440 --> 00:55:42,960 I love the fact that he built it with his friends. 601 00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:44,160 And I love the fact that, 602 00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:46,960 as you look out over the various views around it, 603 00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:49,640 you can see the mountains that he loved so much. 604 00:55:49,640 --> 00:55:51,120 You can see his family home, 605 00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:53,360 the plot of land on which he was born. 606 00:55:55,760 --> 00:55:57,600 Though this building is small, 607 00:55:57,600 --> 00:56:00,120 it encapsulates so much of Fujimori's life. 608 00:56:04,320 --> 00:56:06,760 You know, climbing up here and crawling inside 609 00:56:06,760 --> 00:56:08,760 was like a return to childhood. 610 00:56:08,760 --> 00:56:11,000 It was like a regression to the womb. 611 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:13,520 And I think Fujimori is reminding us that, 612 00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:18,920 for all of our talk of houses and apartments and palaces, 613 00:56:18,920 --> 00:56:21,880 for all of our talk of modernism and minimalism, 614 00:56:21,880 --> 00:56:25,960 and for all those aspirations we have about additional bedrooms 615 00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:30,200 and ensuite bathrooms, that ultimately, and originally, 616 00:56:30,200 --> 00:56:33,200 a home is a place of shelter. 617 00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:36,920 It's about making a safe haven to call one's own. 618 00:56:44,520 --> 00:56:48,640 This series has explored Japan's rich and complex culture. 619 00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:53,360 A culture that has been shaped by the outside world, 620 00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:55,280 but is unlike any other. 621 00:56:58,160 --> 00:56:59,760 In the process, 622 00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:03,400 I've seen exceptional works of art, from its old masterpieces... 623 00:57:04,800 --> 00:57:06,680 ..to its modern installations. 624 00:57:07,920 --> 00:57:12,640 Its tranquil gardens, to its exuberant art forms. 625 00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:16,400 But in the course of my travels, 626 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:19,360 I've found art in more than just artworks. 627 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:22,640 I've found beauty in landscapes... 628 00:57:24,200 --> 00:57:25,440 ..the seasons... 629 00:57:27,200 --> 00:57:29,400 ..in people's homes, 630 00:57:29,400 --> 00:57:32,960 and above all, in their lives. 631 00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:36,800 One of the things I've noticed here over and over again is 632 00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:39,640 the artfulness of people. 633 00:57:39,640 --> 00:57:44,680 There's a precision and elegance in so much of what they do. 634 00:57:44,680 --> 00:57:48,400 Japan, of course, is a complex and challenging place, 635 00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:50,440 and not all of it is beautiful, 636 00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:54,520 but it does seem to me to be a culture that has, for centuries, 637 00:57:54,520 --> 00:57:59,880 cared profoundly about detail, about getting the little things right, 638 00:57:59,880 --> 00:58:02,720 and that is why, even in the most ordinary places, 639 00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:04,640 beauty can usually be found.