Conceptual Design
： Hospitality of Japan
Japanﾕs food culture is a culture of feasting hospitality
that has been passed down through the generations.
It is a culture of dramatic production with cultural
props, the carefully prepared seasonal delicacies
and the rich assortment of dishes and wares in which
they are served to family and friends. The ingredients
of Japanese cuisine are not just food but also hospitality,
arrangement and demeanor, all brought together for
the enjoyment of an exquisite banquet in which each
meeting is a unique encounter to be carefully treasured.
The Japanese term for hospitality is motenashi and
refers to a harmony of spirit. Arrangement is expressed
by the word shitsurai, which is the creation of
an atmosphere befitting the particular season of
the time. And demeanor is furumai, the grace and
manner of cordial reception and hospitality.
Food is presented to simulate seasonal motifs and
objects that reside in a middle area between the
realms of nature and of humankind in expressive
ways that are a culture of creativity and play unto
themselves.
Particularly notable is the way in which the place
of environment is expressed. Instead of a wall separating
the outside and the inside, simple screens known
as shikiri or byobu are used to define place and
bring together the cultural elements of spirit (kokoro),
skill (gi), and strength (tai), and to enhance the
elements of truth (shin), goodness (zen), and beauty
(bi) that are integral to the ways of tea, flower
arrangement and the martial arts.
The Japanese culture of feasting is also a unique
culture of hospitality extended through entertainment
with an additional feast of sound and dance to be
savored by the senses.
Japan's food culture is a culture for the enjoyment
of not only delicious and beautifully prepared food
and the dishes in which it is served, but also of
music and dance; it is a culture that has been passed
on over more than a thousand years.
My designs are the cultural props of hospitality,
and essential elements of this Japanese food culture.
Copyright
2009 Design Studio BINEN Inc. All Rights reserved.
Morimasa Sakata Design Director
