Material-Semiotic Environment

Since I came back to Japan, I’ve been wondering why I feel differently in Japan than in the U.S. Although this is a complex sociological-psychological problem, I think one of the most important reasons for this felt difference is that material-semiotic landscapes—horizons of human communication and practice—are organized differently in Japan and the U.S. (though I cannot specify exactly how). Among various elements that constitute a local material-semiotic environment, I am recently interested in “architecture”—the way in which spaces are configured to make a person move, perceive, and feel in a certain manner.