Deconstruction in Japan

The transient nature of Japanese architecture, where a house loses its value once occupied, is rooted in practical responses to historical challenges like earthquakes, fires, and wars. What looks like a brick wall is rarely real upon closer inspection, evoking the feel of a Hollywood set. However, this approach to truth is deeply embedded in Japanese philosophy, where the notion of an absolute, universal truth has long been deconstructed. When Jacques Derrida, the father of Deconstructionism, visited Japan, he was told he had nothing to deconstruct here. Japan’s philosophical traditions have always embraced a “post-truth” reality, adept at navigating life without reliance on universal truths.