Focus Japan

Screening of NHK documentary films on Japan’s history, literature, art, culture and heritage. Organised with the support of NHK World and Embassy of Japan, New Delhi

Tsubo-niwa | (28 min; 2016; English and with subtitles)

Traditional Kyoto Machiya townhouses have narrow entrances, and are long and deep. At the back lie small Tsubo-niwa gardens (courtyard gardens), enclosed on all sides. Originally serving to provide light and ventilate the house, they enabled residents to comfortably endure the intense, summer heat. The gardener does not fill it up the space, instead he carefully arranges a few items and links the garden compositionally to his home. And he exploits numerous untouchables: wind direction, sounds, seasons, sunlight, the true and apparent dimensions of empty space.