Japanese Culture
Words & Spirit
Words & Spirit
What is this section about?
A place to unpack Japanese words and sensibilities, one at a time — wabi-sabi, ichigo ichie, and the ideas behind them.
A few syllables can hold a whole way of seeing. These articles look at how each word is used today and what feeling it points to, with everyday examples rather than sweeping claims.
Articles
What Does Ikigai Really Mean? | The Four-Circle Diagram Was Born in 2014 — In Japan, Ikigai Can Be Small, and There Can Be Many
The famous four-circle “ikigai” diagram actually began in a 2014 blo…
What Does Mottainai Mean? | It’s Not Really About Things — Three Meanings, and How MOTTAINAI Became a Global Word
Rice left on the plate, a shirt that still fits headed for the bin — and out com…
Glossary
- 侘び寂びわびさび
- 不完全さや移ろい、簡素さのなかに美を見いだす感覚を指すことば。
- 一期一会いちごいちえ
- その出会いは一生に一度きりのものとして大切にする、という心構えを表すことば。
- もったいないもったいない
- 物や機会の価値を十分に生かしきれないことを惜しむ気持ち。
- 間ま
- 空間や時間、動作のあいだにある「余白」。何もない部分そのものが表現の一部と捉えられる。