Juxtapoz Magazineさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Juxtapoz MagazineInstagram)「“It’s funny, I actually really wasn’t interested in Japanese culture until I moved to the United States. Once I was here, I started to get interested in Buddhism, especially its temples, statues, and philosophy. The original Japanese religion of Shinto, more ancient than Buddhism, also interests me a lot. I’ve just started exploring and learning more about Shinto. “In some ways, traditional Japanese culture has started to feel like my own counterculture, because, in Japan, I was brought up on so much American culture, it’s really exciting for me to start learning more about Japan’s history and legacy. As a Japanese person, I feel like I’m in a unique position, considering my parents sheltered me from Japanese influence growing up and only showed me American perspectives. I was a really shy kid, so I didn’t have many friends growing up there, either. My biggest influences from what I study today is that I’m very into animism and the belief that our relationship with nature is sacred and spiritual. “American capitalism affected Japan so much after WWII that I think many Japanese people lost their connection to the cultural ideas of the past. My grandparents were farmers, and I’m from the countryside, so studying animism, Buddhism and Shinto have been helping me understand and appreciate where I come from. Despite all that, I am really against the idea of nationalism, and I enjoy drawing influences from Japanese, American and international culture together. I want to create artwork that is universal.” — @_yu_maeda_ in our Summer 2020 Quarterly」7月9日 9時51分