I am aware of and am most grateful for the benefits of the age. No matter what complaints we may have, Japan has chosen to follow the West, and there is nothing for her to do but move bravely ahead and leave us old ones behind.... I have written all this because I have thought that there might still be somewhere, possibly in literature or the arts, where something could be saved. I would call back at least for literature this world of shadows we are losing. In the mansion called literature I would have the eaves deep and the walls dark, I would push back into the shadows the things that come forward too clearly, I would strip away the useless decoration. I do not ask that this be done everywhere, but perhaps we may be allowed at least one mansion where we can turn off the electric lights and see what it is like without them.
- Tanizaki from In Praise of Shadows.
I finished reading that essay today. I enjoyed the beautiful, very detailed observations which gave me strong visual impressions. Sometimes I found it a bit repetitious, simplistic in the binary comparisons between east and west, dark and light but in fact I relate to it a lot as it can easily be applied to other countries and to changes in various aspects of culture. I hear you old man, I hear you. If you decide to read it, I found the Vintage edition very good for the lovely little introduction and the useful Afterword which provides context.
