Cross Cultural Education in Architecture: Findings from Teaching International Students Traditional Japanese Architecture and Gardens

Abstract

Architectural educators in Japanese higher education institutions have been discussing how to establish a globalstandard school system and to internationalize our students. Traditional Japanese architecture and gardens were almost forgotten in this trend, despite its ever-lasting popularity in the global market. Traditional industry is endangered domestically, but it teaches us many good ideas such as sustainable design, and we may revitalize it with internationalization. For this purpose, the author examined how to teach traditional Japanese architecture and gardens to those who came from different cultures. Observation in classes and surveys with both international and domestic students have indicated that anyone can understand Japanese design as long as it was introduced properly. Only each student’s experience and motivation seemed to influence how they see the subject. This article shares some of these findings to open up further discussions.