Postcards from Japan

Why am I obsessed with grids?

The geometry of Japan is captivating. My children aren’t convinced, no matter how many times I point at buildings, but I guess I entertain myself. On the small scale Kyoto has wooden grids everywhere, on the large scale there are the blocky shapes of apartment buildings, offices, and shopping centers.

I don’t know why you need this many photos of wooden grids, but this is what my travelogue looks like, and probably my stitching will reflect this soon, too. I love the layered grids, the screens that hint at what lays beyond, and the fences that extend the building’s walls.

Of course, there are the toris that create mesmerizing orange tunnels on Fushimi Inari

And at the macro end of things, and modern, here are two photos of the Osaka skyline. One is taken from the top of the (round and fluid shaped) Namba Parks building, the other from the Osaka Castle.

And there are these moments when the whole grid is overlayed with a jumble of lines and signs and its such a fascinating mess.

I think if I were ever to lead travel groups, we would spend our time looking at the built environment and then making art quilts about it. Sure, its niche, but I’ll be entertained.