Author Archive: Biró Krisztina
Pictures at an Exhibition – Japanese inspirations
While walking along the shores of Lake Zurich, my eyes fell on a poster with a Japanese theme: the Kunsthaus (Museum of Fine Arts) was advertising an exhibition called “Inspiration Japan – Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh.” There was nothing surprising... Continue reading
A glimpse into the world of Japanese robots
Humanoid robots are totally fascinating. In the fall of 2014, I saw a performance by the Japanese Oriza Hirata robot theater at Trafo, here in Budapest. The company took its inspiration from Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and, unlike in the original work,... Continue reading
A sapling planted in a swamp, or the history of Christianity in Japan
Many years ago I had a discussion about Christianity with a Japanese colleague. That was when I learned that Christianity had reached Japan in the 16th century but did not really spread. (In today’s Japan with its population of 130... Continue reading
Home of the Lord of the Heavens – Visiting the Japanese Imperial Palace
The Japanese Imperial Palace was one of the attractions I was determined to see when visiting Tokyo last year, since I was exceedingly curious about the home of the only monarch in the world still to be called an emperor.... Continue reading
Answering the call of nature – The world of Japanese toilets
Simply using a toilet in Japan produced a cultural shock. On my first day at school, I dashed into the lavatory during a 5-minute break and stood there paralyzed, staring at the “facility” in front of me and at the... Continue reading
Up in the Clouds in Japan – Climbing Mt. Fuji
The alarm clock went off at 4 a.m. That gave Emmi enough time to fix her hair with the curling iron and Marissa to put on her “face” before departure. On the bus we were given an XS sandwich and... Continue reading