two art movements have recently gained a lot of attention in japan
- the architecture of terunobu fujimori and ROJO (on the roadway).

fujimori terunobu
fujimori’s surrealistic architecture appeared in the midst
of ordinary contemporary japanese architecture
15 years ago. rather looking to the past than the future,
he uses rough natural materials such as earth, stone,
wood, charcoal, tree bark and mortar. with the plant life
in his buildings, fujimori expresses his deep interest in
the relationship between architecture and nature.
born in nagano in 1946, terunobu fujimori studied at
tohoku university before graduate school at the
university of tokyo - where he is currently a professor.
the main theme of his research in history of architecture
and city planning has been modern architecture, and
particularly western-style buildings in japan from the
meiji period onwards.

the ROJO society
was organized in 1986 by the five
main members who are still active today:
genpei akasegawa (artist and novelist),
terunobu fujimori (architectural historian),
shinbo minami (illustrator), joji hayashi (writer),
and tetsuo matsuda (editor).
rojo kansatsu means ‘roadway observation’ - walking
the streets, noticing objects that people do not ordinarily
notice, and recording them with a camera.

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teahouses
are small spaces designed for drinking tea, reading,
or meditating alone or for inviting a few close friends.
in japan, a particular type of small house or room used
for the tea ceremony has been built from the 16th century
to the present. people drink tea according to a prescribed
ritual and contemplate teacup, calligraphy or paintings and
flower arrangements.
terunobu fujimori has taken three things from tradition -
minimal space, a special low entrance (nijiriguchi), and
the use of fire (a brazier) inside the room - to create
a miniature universe separate from the outside world.