‘It is surreal.’
Japanese people occasionally speak this way.

Rarely do Japanese people aged 25 to 30 use the word “surreal” , originating from the root word, ‘surrealism’. The expression is used when there is some abnormality about some otherwise seemingly normal thing. It is used to describe cartoon characters or their merchandise when they are beyond one’s understanding or are too unusual to be simply called ‘cute,’ or to appreciate a joke or action that is not common.

However, the idea may change slightly if we consider the roots of the word ‘surrealism’.

What is surrealism?
It is a preconceived notion based on aesthetics and morals, or an art that disregards all the laws of nature, indicating a ‘stronger’ and ‘higher’ reality.

This definition is applicable not only to the works of artists such as Dali, but also to the drawings and handicrafts made by children that lack values or sensible ideas. In worlds created by children, there appears to be no recognition of the law of gravity, and ‘the mountain is green, the sky is blue’ common sense appears clichéd.

Nonetheless, we are often struck when, in works that are drawn unconsciously, we find aspects that, amazingly, seem to have substance. To children and surrealists, it is strange that the nonsensical and non-stereotypical works strongly grip those of us who are slaves to convention, even though they contradict our common sense and fixed ideas.

If we look deeply, we realize that we do not know what is actually real; real and surreal become the same. Even if you are not an artist or a sensitive child, you will naturally feel that way when you look at the things they have expressed.

Even if we cannot agree, they may be supernatural yet highly real as the works express a deeper reality, either deliberately or unconsciously.

Because of the unconventional nature of the work, it also appears that we are made strongly aware of things called “rules.”

Nonetheless, in Japan, we usually use this word along with a cynical smile.

Although Dali was the figurehead of surrealist painting, between 1910 and 1920, Giorgio de Chirico also excelled in this art, which he himself defined as « metaphysical ».
The paintings by this Italian artist who was born in Greece are characterised by a play on perspective, the representation of people by statues and especially the depiction of unusual objects in the foreground.
The unorthodox character of some of his paintings attracts me, such as The Return of Ulysses, which shows a man crawling over a stretch of water when he is locked in a room, or Le Rêve Transformé (The Transformed Dream) in which the head of a statue sits next to bananas and pineapples.

Surrealism is an art form and in relation to one of the assertions, often translated as the principles of ultra-real, originally it was a word created from ‘surreal’ (ultra-real) and ‘ism’ (Principle).

The surrealists whose names have passed into history and you know probably include the artists such as Dali, Picasso, Miró etc.

I enjoy art museums, but if I am honest then I have to say that I do not understand art sufficiently to be able to evaluate each and every work.
However, if we clear our minds and look at the works, they communicate with us….
We can see what the artist wanted to say with that painting or sculpture.


At a glance, works such as the scribbles of children, are ultra-real works which express an individual world-view, unfettered by rules and concepts.

In talking about traditional Japanese culture, then Sen-no-Rikyu is usually categorized as a Master of Tea Ceremony.
However, he did not just pour tea and drink it, he was very particular about the utensils of the ceremony and the art objects located in the tea room, they invite us to consider the purpose of our lives and a way of thinking and have an impact which transcends boundaries between categories.


He created a non-conventional space and viewed reality from within it.


When we consider things in this way, we realize that surrealism is imbued in a whole variety of places.

In my daily life as a teacher of etiquette, and I generally say to my students:
“Manner is not something which is asserted but the enjoyment of life from the heart, and has as its aim to value the precious time shared with an important person”.

When we become adults we are preoccupied with thoughts and possessions and this leads us to value superficial beauty. This has us concerned about what people think and we are stiff with pride.

In the end, manner is not something which is asserted or worn as an adornment, It is not the stiff employment of rules, but the elimination of superfluous things to enable the appreciation of true beauty.

What is important is the life we are imparted with and we should avail of it. If we can find manner in our own lives, we can become people who empathize with the other person and that empowers us to be able to value the precious time shared with another person.

That’s something that we forget when we become adults, isn’t it ?

It is important to rid ourselves of the concerns we accumulated since we became adults and recover our true selves, But on becoming adults we learned the value of harmony with other people. That is also surrealism (ultra-real), and Controlling that is the essence of ‘manner’.

It is essential to have a non-conventional world view, I want to prepare women who have a balance which is surreal (ultra-real) from now on.