July. 2020; tea at the neighbours
One of the blessings of getting older is learning stuff. Maybe learning is not quite correct, perhaps noticing stuff. Some people are somewhat apprehensive about talk of their age, and although I can understand that basic human desire of wishing to remain youthful and vibrant (or to at least appear that way) personally I’ve never been shy about my years spent on this bountiful blue and green rock. And as I’ve matured in years like a fine wine, something very simple that I’ve noticed over the past decade of travelling around Asia is this; We are all basically the same. Now the first thing that may spring to mind is all the inbuilt stereotypes we’ve learned to associate with people of different nations, ethnicities, minorities et al, but up to this point my steadfast conclusion is that that you, me, that lady over there with the thick glasses and that guy over there who looks like a hairdresser from the 1980’s, we’re all pretty much the same. We like to laugh, we don’t like to look stupid, we want our children to be safe and happy, and we don’t want them to end up as pimps or pole dancers. But one thing that really sets us apart is our cultural differences. I’ve learned that when I see someone doing something I find vulgar, in poor manners or taste, or just something I see as generally inappropriate, it’s not actually that persons fault as such, it’s just the different culture we were born into. What I may find repulsive is what another may find perfectly acceptable, and as a world family perhaps we should really learn to embrace and celebrate our differences, not judge people and decide that they are wrong/I am right/ I need to change that about them. The world would be a mighty boring place if we were all the same.
As a keen photo taker, I love to look for contrasts. Polar opposites, contradistinctions, how can some things be so similar yet others so damn antithetical. And in all the places I’ve been blessed to spend time, Japan is the number one for contrasts. I find Japan the most fascinating place I’ve ever been to for a number of reasons, but I’m not going to harp on about “ooh it’s so clean there!” Yes it is, and they are doing their utmost to improve on it but Japan is also still one of the worlds leading contributors of air and ocean pollution. “The people are so polite and helpful!” Another yes, but they can also be painfully shy, and if you accidentally make someone mentsu wo ushinau (lose face) you could make an enemy for life, or even find yourself sleeping with the fishes. But I’m delighted to see that so many people here are now choosing Japan as their go-to vacation destination, and it’s not just for the sushi, sake, and sakura. People, and may I generalize and say a lot of those being the younger generation, are eagerly impassioned to learn more about one of Chinas great neighbouring countries, its history and artwork, traditions, clothing, culture and more. These two great nations are only divided by a small pond of water, yet they share as many similarities as they do differences.
One thing that I’ve been reading up on recently is the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi, (yes, it sounds like wasabi) which is defined as the art of accepting imperfect beauty, finding the beauty in the simple, and in the cycles of life from growth to decay. This all may sound a little weird and wonderful, but it’s something I’ve apparently been appreciating throughout my adult life, I just didn’t know there was an actual word for it. I mention this as dozens of people here in Shenzhen have asked me over the past few years, “why do you take photos of ugly things?” This has absolutely perplexed me, to the point where I find it a little impertinent that people might look at our own people, our own streets and places and spaces as “ugly.” We are incredibly fortunate in that our city here is one of the most shining bright and futuristic hi-tech places on earth, but to me it can be somewhat lacking in personality. Every urban village is eventually going to be demolished and rebuilt, and judging by the way it’s happened so far they’ll be replaced with tall shining towers of glass and steel, more incredibly expensive real estate that has erased any reflection of its past. Which is fine, it’s progress (allegedly) but where’s the beauty in just another skyscraper?! I love the old. The worn out, the run down, the textures of crumbled paint and rusty metal, the toothless grins and the lines on the faces of the seniors, the printed family photos in old albums, long since lost their colour.
It seems many of the people I know in Shenzhen don’t really like old things. Perhaps it’s some kind of declaration of wealth and success, “we don’t need to buy old stuff, we can afford to buy new stuff,” but I find many things here are seen as a lot more disposable than I’m used to. From TV’s to trainers, mobile phones to marriages, if it’s broke then it’s replaced, not fixed. This is clearly apparent in the absolute lack of second hand stores here, which I find fantastically abundant in Japan. Back in London it was an afternoon of bliss if I could spend a few hours scouring the second hand shops for books, electronics, house wares and even clothes, but when mentioning the idea of wearing second hand clothes to some of the Shenzhen middle class they give you a look akin to that of a princess who sniffs a fart in the elevator.
Perhaps this is a Shenzhen thing, I unfortunately haven’t spent enough time wandering the wilds of the further reaches of the PRC, but in my limited time in other places I still haven’t seen much in the way of reused items. I admire the thinking in Japan of reusing an item for the entirety of its life, not until you feel like replacing it. When I was a kid we saw stuff on TV about Japan, and it seemed like this mesmerizing hub of modern and hi-tech, yet in actuality many of the peoples homes there are still adorned with house goods and electronics produced 10 or 20 years ago. The second hand stores in Japan can be as big as small supermarkets, full to the brim with everything, literally everything, a person needs for regular day to day life. Ornaments, clothes, toys, books, CD’s (remember those?) furniture and fridges, the list goes on and on. The first time I ventured inside one of these Nippon Aladdins caves’, eyes big as saucers, I was so full of wonderment that I thought I’d been hit by a truck crossing the road and this was it, I was in heaven. If you get chance to step into one, I highly recommend it.
I don’t want to blather on too much about all of the things I love about Japan, but of all the places in Asia I’ve seen I really can’t recommend it enough. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Japan a number of times, and as soon as things right themselves back to normal it’ll be the first place I’ll board a plane to. I’m extremely happy to see people here wishing to explore new places for themselves, and to think deeper than any preconceived prejudices. We may have some pretty big cultural differences, but trust me, we’re all pretty much the same. There’s a whole world out there waiting for us to discover. Perhaps visiting the neighbours for a cup of tea might be a good place to start.