The Japanese have a word for it -- Hade or Shibui?

 

VW Bug

The old VW bugs linger on and people who love them somehow manage to keep them running.  This person did more then just keep it running.  It's as the saying goes, "cherried out". 

I had been thinking about the Japanese aesthetic term , "shibui", a term that has fascinated me for over 20 years.  In the last few years, the term shibui and wabi sabi have been discussed a lot in the design community.  Hard to explain, but something shibui has a quiet reserved quality that continues to reveal itself over time.  It's something you won't tire of in a few months.  The opposite quality of shibui in Japanese is, "hade" or something bright and attention grabbing, but may not hold your interest over time.  Shibui is a quality I like to see in buildings because buildings unlike today's fashionable clothes, stay around a while.

While the old VW bug was designed to be simple lines and unassuming and might be considered shibui,  this Volkswagon  with its glowing metallic lime green paint, bright chrome trim, and fancy wheel covers has definitely moved to the hade side.

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