Water Use within Japanese Social Structures
Travel Scholarship Proposal
Destination: Japan
Time: December 31, 2010- January 17, 2011
Veronica Stephens
Master of Landscape Architecture Candidate
University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture
Intent
I intend to travel to Japan for two weeks to study the use and subsequent expression of water in vernacular and elite
Japanese landscape and architecture. This research entails travel to Japan from December 31, 2010 to January 17,
2011. I plan to stay in Chiba, Japan for half of the trip, studying vernacular uses of water, and then travel to sites in
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima in order to study imperial gardens, modern and contemporary institutional and
museum architectures’ employment of water.
I have had some previous experience in Japan which will significantly enable my research trip. In 2006, during my
junior year at Austin College, I was fortunate to have an opportunity for travel to Japan in order to study the
language and culture. Along with travel to sites across Japan, the trip included a homestay, in Chiba, with the Saito
Family. We have continued our friendship throughout the years.
I continue to be deeply interested in Japanese culture and its relationship to landscape architecture, especially water
systems. The Japanese culture is a product of geography and climate. Composed of islands, Japan’s geography has
influenced exchanges with other countries as well as imperial or political reigns. The environment also produces
physical forces, typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes, which have and continue to shape the country. Along
with my experience and interest in Japan, growing up over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, water quality
research while at Austin College, and studying landscape architecture at the University of Texas have also
contributed in shaping this proposal.
Often restrained, understated, and unique are words used to describe Japanese formal expression in design. Various
texts attempt to detach this perception from the meanings derived within its cultural context. In Japan, the meaning
or expression achieved through form is a blend of aesthetics, religion, and philosophy. Through an understanding of
context alongside the study of water, overlapping ideas concerning meaning, discipline, and scale appear.
The study of water, such as in the case of Ancient Rome, leads to the understanding of hydrologic and constructed
water infrastructure which influences patterns of development. Additionally, the study of the use of water can
contribute to an understanding of different ways of life and cultures’ views on nature and natural resources. Because
of this and other overlaps, this proposal provides an opportunity for the combination of disciplines. Water use
intersects urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, and engineering at various scales.
For the purposes of this research proposal, water not only is geographically significant and important because of the
decreasing fresh water supply, but, most importantly, serves as a link between the study of imperial or elite and
vernacular landscape and architecture within Japanese culture. The style and functions within the vernacular and
elite built environments are influenced by changing historic periods, religious beliefs, and the exchange of
knowledge over time. Additionally, the two also encompass functional, traditional, and ornamental purposes in their
form.
Focusing on the scale of the home, I intend to study outdoor uses, for crops, gardens, and courtyards, indoor uses,
such as the practice of bathing, and increasingly public spaces, such as springs, religious gathering spaces, and
bathing facilities. I will employ maps of municipal water distribution along with historical maps available in Japan.
From my initial experience in Japan, the conservation and respect for water as a limited natural resource in the
vernacular, contrasts to its abundance in imperial garden landscapes, drawing upon a different respect for nature. In
addition, modern and contemporary architecture for universities, national monuments, memorials, and museums will
be used along with imperial gardens to complete the thread of study composed of elite institutions. Within these
contexts, water, along with serving different functions, takes on many different formal appearances. My research
goal is to study closely the expressions and meanings of water within these different contexts and how it is used
differently within Japanese culture.
Significance
This is a thread of research which is not only relevant in the landscape architecture field, but will continue to serve
as a major area of interest in my own future professional work. Throughout my academic career at University of
Texas at Austin I have looked at the regulation, reclamation, treatment, and reuse of water along with the spectacle
and edge conditions water creates. While water is inherent in studying and working with the built environment, it is
the disparity of fresh water supply and demand and climate change which have shaped it into a topic with global
implications. The changing landscape forces societies to turn to technological innovation and an examination of
current usage and the subsequent services water provides. As such, landscape architecture has the ability to directly
shape the role of water in various types of spaces and at multiple scales.
Preparation and Completion
I am prepared and have a support system to complete the research and travel within Japan. Alongside my homestay,
I participated in language courses, at Kanda University of International Studies, as well as travel throughout the
country. I have materials from the course on both Japanese culture and language, along with travel guides and texts
covering historical information. I was fortunate to stay with the Saito family, who were helpful and eager to learn,
and are still eager to support and assist me in this research. Mrs. Saito has already visited and obtained maps for the
Chiba Prefecture water distribution system. She continues to answer questions and propose new threads of thought
regarding cultural traditions and their uses of water. Travel and cultural immersion provides further opportunities for
discovery of links tied to experience and exposure as well as further help from the Saito family with resources
available in Japan. In the end, my objective is to produce, within the spring of 2011, a written and visual record of
my research as well as to present academically or publish.
Funding
DETAILED TRAVEL EXPENSES
EXPENSE
INCREMENT
BUDGET
Airfare to Narita Airport
$2,000 roundtrip
$
2,000
Transportation
Misc. airport, metro, bus, etc.
$
500
Lodging
$85/night X 16 nights
$
1,360
Meals
$35/day X 16 days
$
560
$
375
$
100
Admission Fees
$12.50 X apx. 30 gardens/museums/treatment
facilities
Computer,Internet Access,
document and film; transmit for
and digital processing
reference document
Misc. Expenses
$20/day X 16 days
$
320
Total
$
5,215