就係我搵緊京都古老大屋嘅時候,無意中俾我睇到一個頻道介紹嘅一本書《陰翳禮讚》,呢本書主要講日本文化東方美,譬如微弱透光嘅紙拉門做出嚟嘅陰影,金箔屏障反射出蠟燭嘅微光,用黑漆做嘅湯碗裝滿浮而不沉嘅味噌,特登專登去乘搭慢車或三等箱,描述東方人生活嘅節奏以及美嘅哲學。睇完呢本書先發覺原來係某程度上我對於事物、創作、生活都不知不覺甚至更早已經認同呢種「東方美」。就好似書中提及到,怠慢嘅思維唔一定俾一直衝嘅思維差,冇慢落嚟就好難睇到一啲微細瑣碎嘅事物,更唔能夠從中得到無限嘅啟發。

One night googling some kyo-machiya, I stumbled upon an old tube introducing a book “In Praise of Shadows”. Soft shadow creation through translucency of shoji screen, weak glitters reflection by gold-painted dividers, adrift floatation of cloudy miso within a darkly black lacquered bowl, voyage across deliberately and purposefully in slow train and lower-classed cabin, all these are narrated in this book, a philosophic form of oriental beautification. I desire this orientality, and early before reading even unconsciously my values, creations, livings, and thinkings are already in this form. A gradually relaxed manner doesn’t mean disadvantageous to a swiftly and hasty mentality. Small and tiny subtlety becomes only discoverable and explorable in turtled paces.