A Uniquely Japanese Take on Nostalgia

choi

take (n): "a distinct or personal point of view, outlook, or assessment  <examples>"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take


Erica Hobart, A Uniquely Japanese Take on Nostalgia; The concept of natsukashii permeates Japanese culture, from traditional alleyways in Tokyo to the popularity of stores selling film cameras. BBC, Jan 20, 2020,
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/ ... e-take-on-nostalgia

Note:
(a) "During my childhood summers spent in Yokohama, Japan, my obaachan (grandmother) would take me on afternoon strolls through her neighbourhood and teach me the names of all the flowers we came across. * * * When we returned home, the two of us would cool off over ice-cold glasses of mugicha (barley tea). * * * Now the taste of mugicha takes me back to our precious summer strolls. 'Natsukashii,' I always think as the taste hits my tongue. * * * Natsukashii is a Japanese word used when something evokes a fond memory from your past. * * * For instance, when you hear a song you loved as a teenager, or when you come across an old train ticket stub in your pocket.  In some cultures, nostalgia is often full of sadness. But natsukashii – which derives from the verb 'natsuku,' which means 'to keep close and become fond of' – indicates joy and gratitude for the past rather than a desire to return to it. In Japan, natsukashii is a reminder that you are fortunate to have had the experiences you’ve had in life. The fact that you cannot return to those experiences makes them all the more poignant."
(i) Another way to romanize obaachan is obachan -- the aa and ā are two similar ways to romanize Japanese, both signifying a long vowel of a.
(ii) Japanese-English dictionary:
* mugi 麦 【むぎ】 (n) "wheat; barley; oat" (Kist like in Chinese, 麦 in Japanese means lots of grains, but rice. The g in mugi (Japanese pronunciation of 麦) is a hard one, like that of English word bug.)
* obāchan おばあちゃん 《お婆ちゃん(Principal]); お祖母ちゃん; 御婆ちゃん; 御祖母ちゃん》 (n): "granny; grandma"
* natsuku  なつく《懐く》 (v): "(See [adj; pronunciation: natsukashii (two i's signifies a long vowel of "i")] 懐かしい [fondly remembered]) to become emotionally attached (to)"
* wabisabi わびさび 《侘び寂び; 侘寂》 (n): "wabi-sabi; aesthetic sense in Japanese art centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection"

(b) Ojisan, Ojiisan, Obasan, Obaasan - Meaning in Japanese. Japanese with Anime; and kanji with manga. Sept 24, 2016
https://www.japanesewithanime.co ... baasan-meaning.html
("So you might have heard one of these words in anime: ojisan [伯父さん uncle], ojiisan [お祖父さん gradfather], obasan [伯母さん aunt] and obaasan [お祖母さん granmother]." These four apply equally to either side: father's or mother's)

Quote:

"Just like with oniichan お兄ちゃん [chan] and oniisan お兄さん [san], it's possible to use the honorific shan [sic; should be chan] instead of san in the words. See:
• ojichan 伯父ちゃん
• obachan 伯母ちゃん
• ojiichan お祖父ちゃん
• obaachan お祖母ちゃん

The difference between ojichan and ojisan, obachan and obasan, ojiichan and ojiisan, obaachan and obaasan is... pretty much none.

Using the chan suffix just turns the word into something more intimate. It becomes a cute way of calling your uncles, aunties, grandfathers and grandmothers. There is no change in meaning, only in nuance.

A concrete example: it's like saying 'granny' instead of 'grandma.' "

(c) "Aesthetic concepts in the traditional Japanese arts were developed in pre-modern Japan. One of the earliest to emerge was wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy rooted in Buddhism that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence; examples include deliberately misshapen bowls used in tea ceremonies and bonsai trees displayed even after they’ve shed their leaves."

Definition of wabisabi is in (a)(ii). One example of such is the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms.
(d) There is no need to read beyond.