To realize its cultural potential, Japan must celebrate its strengths
Local Japanese News In English
When Japan lost its Asian and Pacific empire in 1945 with the end of World War II, it also lost its confidence in its indigenous culture and that culture's ability to have sway in the world.
The genius of Japanese design, though, remained intact, and its practitioners turned their eyes and minds to practical goods over art. Within three decades, Japan was producing electronic goods and cars, among other things, whose sleek appeal once again took the world by storm.
However, the bleak and dispirited years since Japan's economic bubble burst and shriveled in the early 1990s have changed that story, too. Japan is at sea, sailing blind, looking every which way for the glint of a lighthouse. (Japan Times)
Source: cleanup