Zoom talk @ 4PM PST March 7 about my work
"Urban Life and Spatial Cultures in Post-Growth Japan"
Hello everyone, including the steady stream of new subscribers! Despite my best intentions, it’s been a few more months of radio silence in this space. So much I want to write, and still no time. Cautiously optimistic that will be changing soon! Expect to see a frequent, pop-up-style newsletter a la Craig Mod take over this space for about a month later this spring as I explore my experiences in Onomichi. We’re preparing to launch a crowdfunding campaign for Labyrinth House, and I want to take the opportunity to start crafting my notes into ideas that will eventually make their way into a book. Writing, as we all know, requires deadlines and structure and focus, conditions I simply haven’t been able to create these past two years.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in what I do (and I hope you are if you’re on this list!), feel free to tune in for the Webinar discussion I will be having on 4PM PST on Tuesday, March 7 (9AM Japan time on March 8). There should also be a YouTube archive available afterward. I’ll introduce my three projects (Tokyo Little House, Inari-yu, and Onomichi Labyrinth House) and then discuss some of my thoughts on the state of Japanese cities and development in the post-growth era.
Register here.
Urban Life and Spatial Cultures in Post-Growth Japan
As Japan enters the post-growth era and the redevelopment of Tokyo and elsewhere continues, intimate local spaces such as public baths are rapidly giving way to modern high-rises, altering patterns of everyday life and the meaning of urban space. What is lost in this process and how can we preserve what makes Japanese cities so rich? Join Sam Holden, a writer who restores public baths and vacant houses in Tokyo and Onomichi, for a discussion of Japan's evolving urban culture and new ways of life for a shrinking future.
Speakers:
Sam Holden, Writer, Translator, and Renovation Activist
Ulrike Schaede, Professor and Director of the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy
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This Japan Zoominar @ UC San Diego is organized by the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology (JFIT) at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. For more information on JFIT activities, as well as recordings of previous Japan Zoominars, please visit jfit.ucsd.edu.
This was awesome - thank you for sharing.
Been thinking and exploring restoring things rather than buying new, but also trying to find the balance of the time and cost it takes - challenging to do in the context of a modern, small-family, capitalist society.
Oh, this is tomorrow! Will try to make it (or at least catch it on youtube after.)
Regardless, loving your work, being a champion of old neighborhoods in Japan and all that they entail. Let's keep at it.