A Japanese Take On Nostalgia

[Palumboism]

The concept of nastukashii permeates Japanese culture, from traditional alleyways in Tokyo to the popularity of stores selling film cameras.
By Erika Hobart 20 January 2020

Natsukashii is a Japanese word used when something evokes a fond memory from your past. It’s a word you exclaim as a smile creeps across your face. For instance, when you hear a song you loved as a teenager, or when you come across an old train ticket stub in your pocket.

In some cultures, nostalgia is often full of sadness. But natsukashii – which derives from the verb “natsuku”, which means “to keep close and become fond of” – indicates joy and gratitude for the past rather than a desire to return to it. In Japan, natsukashii is a reminder that you are fortunate to have had the experiences you’ve had in life. The fact that you cannot return to those experiences makes them all the more poignant.

“A positive frame put around longing is the essence of natsukashii,” said Christine Yano, professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii, whose research focuses on Japanese popular culture. “It’s part of the emotional foundation of Japan. A glass half empty is a glass that’s full and beautiful.”

“I think in Japan, nostalgia has to do with an aesthetic," she continued. "This is the aesthetic that sees beauty in imperfection, in something not being quite complete, in longing, in yearning, in evanescence, in impermanence, wistfulness, in melancholy. It is an aesthetic invested with emotion and beauty at the same time.”

Aesthetic concepts in the traditional Japanese arts were developed in pre-modern Japan. One of the earliest to emerge was wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy rooted in Buddhism that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence; examples include deliberately misshapen bowls used in tea ceremonies and bonsai trees displayed even after they’ve shed their leaves. Yano suggests that Japan’s approach to nostalgia is akin to wabi-sabi – but it’s life, rather than objects, that’s being celebrated for its imperfections.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200119-a-uniquely-japanese-take-on-nostalgia



Do you share the Japanese view of the past?

[Griffith]

The concept of nastukashii permeates Japanese culture, from traditional alleyways in Tokyo to the popularity of stores selling film cameras.
By Erika Hobart 20 January 2020

Natsukashii is a Japanese word used when something evokes a fond memory from your past. It’s a word you exclaim as a smile creeps across your face. For instance, when you hear a song you loved as a teenager, or when you come across an old train ticket stub in your pocket.

In some cultures, nostalgia is often full of sadness. But natsukashii – which derives from the verb “natsuku”, which means “to keep close and become fond of” – indicates joy and gratitude for the past rather than a desire to return to it. In Japan, natsukashii is a reminder that you are fortunate to have had the experiences you’ve had in life. The fact that you cannot return to those experiences makes them all the more poignant.

“A positive frame put around longing is the essence of natsukashii,” said Christine Yano, professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii, whose research focuses on Japanese popular culture. “It’s part of the emotional foundation of Japan. A glass half empty is a glass that’s full and beautiful.”

“I think in Japan, nostalgia has to do with an aesthetic," she continued. "This is the aesthetic that sees beauty in imperfection, in something not being quite complete, in longing, in yearning, in evanescence, in impermanence, wistfulness, in melancholy. It is an aesthetic invested with emotion and beauty at the same time.”

Aesthetic concepts in the traditional Japanese arts were developed in pre-modern Japan. One of the earliest to emerge was wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy rooted in Buddhism that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence; examples include deliberately misshapen bowls used in tea ceremonies and bonsai trees displayed even after they’ve shed their leaves. Yano suggests that Japan’s approach to nostalgia is akin to wabi-sabi – but it’s life, rather than objects, that’s being celebrated for its imperfections.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200119-a-uniquely-japanese-take-on-nostalgia



Do you share the Japanese view of the past?

I think this stems from Buddhist philosophy which accepts that life is constant change.

In Thailand, I was told something similar, "Be happy you are able to see it" when I mentioned I was sad to see some areas being demolished and the street markets gone.

[pamith]

I think this stems from Buddhist philosophy which accepts that life is constant change.

In Thailand, I was told something similar, "Be happy you are able to see it" when I mentioned I was sad to see some areas being demolished and the street markets gone.

Deep wisdom of peace

[Kwon]

The concept of nastukashii permeates Japanese culture, from traditional alleyways in Tokyo to the popularity of stores selling film cameras.
By Erika Hobart 20 January 2020

Natsukashii is a Japanese word used when something evokes a fond memory from your past. It’s a word you exclaim as a smile creeps across your face. For instance, when you hear a song you loved as a teenager, or when you come across an old train ticket stub in your pocket.

In some cultures, nostalgia is often full of sadness. But natsukashii – which derives from the verb “natsuku”, which means “to keep close and become fond of” – indicates joy and gratitude for the past rather than a desire to return to it. In Japan, natsukashii is a reminder that you are fortunate to have had the experiences you’ve had in life. The fact that you cannot return to those experiences makes them all the more poignant.

“A positive frame put around longing is the essence of natsukashii,” said Christine Yano, professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii, whose research focuses on Japanese popular culture. “It’s part of the emotional foundation of Japan. A glass half empty is a glass that’s full and beautiful.”

“I think in Japan, nostalgia has to do with an aesthetic," she continued. "This is the aesthetic that sees beauty in imperfection, in something not being quite complete, in longing, in yearning, in evanescence, in impermanence, wistfulness, in melancholy. It is an aesthetic invested with emotion and beauty at the same time.”

Aesthetic concepts in the traditional Japanese arts were developed in pre-modern Japan. One of the earliest to emerge was wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy rooted in Buddhism that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence; examples include deliberately misshapen bowls used in tea ceremonies and bonsai trees displayed even after they’ve shed their leaves. Yano suggests that Japan’s approach to nostalgia is akin to wabi-sabi – but it’s life, rather than objects, that’s being celebrated for its imperfections.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200119-a-uniquely-japanese-take-on-nostalgia



Do you share the Japanese view of the past?

To me, seeing current day is mostly depressing.


I have mostly fond memories of the past, and i often think back on the 70s, 80s and 90s, how things were so different then.



I can visit a certain place, hear a certain song, and nostalgic memories come back mostly with joy.

[Tapeworm]

Again with the hanami, these guys.

Whenever I fart around the Japs I remind them to enjoy its transience and remember its passing.

They are a severe and humorless people.

[bigkid]

Asian men are way underrepresented in pornography.

[Humble Narcissist]

Asian men are way underrepresented in pornography.

But from the numbers they must be getting a lot in real life.