Most of us are familiar with the mainstream phenomena that has characterized Japanese pop culture for the past three decades. Manga, anime, and Kawaii [ the Cute craze ] are commonly known, but the true origins of Japanese aesthetics lie in the traditions of its two indigenous religions, Shintoism and Buddhism.

In Shintoism, it is believed that there are eight million gods or kami who reside in all natural things and that they are attracted to voids or emptiness. Wabi-Sabi is the quintessential Japanese aesthetic born out of the Zen Buddhist acceptance of transience and imperfection. These basic tenets can be seen in Japanese art, architecture, design and landscaping and in ritual practices such as the tea ceremony.

The quest of this course is to explore Japan’s present day capital, Tokyo, and its ancient capitals, Kyoto [ 794–1868 ], Kamakura [ de facto capital 1192–133 ] and Nara [ 710–784 ], and discover, record, and interpret examples of traditional Japanese aesthetic values as a way of understanding “the durability of Japanese artistic attitudes from historic times to the present.”

Students spend 10 days in Tokyo with a 5 day excursion to Kyoto. While the focus of the visit is an investigation of Japanese aesthetic values, students also explore the compelling surface of Tokyo and Kyoto. For the duration of their stay, the class lives in the question of what ties the old to the new.

The outcome of the course integrates narrative with visual images and may take any form including 2D, 3D, time-based media, or performance art. Final projects are evaluated on the quality of research, analysis, creative thinking, form giving, and craft. Collaboration is always an option.

Students wishing to register for this course need to first obtain instructor approval by emailing the instructor (instructor emails are listed with a more detailed program description in portal: cca.edu/abroad). Once a student is approved, registration must be done online during a special registration appointment for study abroad students.

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