In the fashion world, in the ’70s, Kenzo and Issey Miyake were the first to attract attention to Japanese designers, acquiring such notoriety that they became the symbol of a new generation of foreign designers: collections with innovative forms and loud colours, while remaining within the renowned canons of traditional aesthetics. In the ‘80s, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto introduced a “structural” change to the shapes, fabrics and cuts, turning the structure of the clothes upside down and creating a fashion that was minimalist but brimming with details and rich in forms. Kawakubo and Yamamoto redesigned the female silhouette and broke the rules of clothing shapes, in a stubborn search for something different, giving rise to heated debates between allies and opponents. Rei Kawakubo supported a new generation, sponsoring Junya Watanabe, the young Tao and the most rebellious group of Undercover, thereby continuing a Japanese tradition.

In photography Nobuyoshi Araki brought a new approach to the image, sometimes aggressive and provocative, but absolutely unexpected, as did Hiro, who made the covers of Vogue Italia for almost 10 years, using cold and almost harsh lights, from the late ’70s until 1988. Then came Kitai, Hosoe, Moriyama, Kusakabe Kimbei and Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Equally important were some minimalist architects in their use of materials and shapes, an architecture far from our culture but so unique and fascinating as to become a point of reference in the history of architecture. From Kenzo Tange to Toyo Ito, Tadao Ando, Arata Isozaki, to the Sanaa group with Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa to Shigeru Ban.

Cinema was no less important, with great directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki, 2003 Oscar winner for Spirited Away and Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award winner at the Venice film festival in 2005, along with others who are lesser known in the West but whose films are true masterpieces.

Finally, we must mention Osamu Tezuka, known as “the father of Manga”, whose famous comics have so greatly influenced the Japanese image, giving rise to renowned artists such as Murakami.

Japanese culture is definitely behind the creativity and sensitivity inherent in the spirit of the people who, with their ingenuity, continue to make this country so important and intriguing due to its cultural movements.