Pavilions of Japan and France

Located in the Pavilions of the Pacific Basin area, the Japanese Pavilion was comprised of a lagoon, terraced Oriental gardens, and a few buildings. Invoking Japanese traditions ranging from 14^th century feudal architecture to Samurai houses to Buddhist temples, the buildings are authentically Japanese. The Pavilion includes a pagoda as well as a drum bridge spanning the lagoon. These two quintessential Japanese architectural traditions continue to support the accuracy of representation of this pavilion. Furthermore, the fact that every single material, including all of the wood for the buildings and all of the rocks found in the garden, was shipped from Japan creates a very realistic image of Japanese architectural traditions, and consequently, Japanese culture. Inside of these buildings, an exhibit demonstrating the process of silk making as well as precious Japanese documents brought over from Japan were found.

A few blocks away, in the Foreign Pavilions area sat the French pavilion. Divided into three main parts, the pavilion strove to represent the Fine Arts, Fashion, and Tourism of France. Fine Arts are represented vis-à-vis sculptures – including Rodin’s “The Shadow” and Bourdelle’s “Carplaux” – tapestries, and thirty canvases. The Fashion section boasted a fine collection of the Musee Carnavalet’s dresses, dating from the Eighteenth century to the current time of the fair. Lastly, the Tourism section displayed large-scale French maps that pinpointed different art objects and historically important sites throughout the country.

While the Japanese pavilion emphasized architectural traits, the French pavilion highlighted different aspects of culture. While it is important to consider the fact that these two countries are on different continents and have quite contrasting histories, traditions, and cultures, the varied presentation of culture is nonetheless intriguing. In thinking about the differences, the Japanese pavilion sets a stage for the viewer to engage with the various aspects of Japanese landscape architecture, creating a unique experience for the visitor that is similar to a Disneyworld effect, in that the viewer feels as though he or she is in a completely different time and place than on an island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. France’s method of transporting the viewer is achieved indoors, by recreating the museum and salon settings that are quite common and quintessential of French culture. For France, art objects, dresses, and maps play pivotal roles in introducing French culture. Thus, these alternate methods of representing countries highlights the complexities of recreating cultural experiences, a critical element to any World’s Fair.

Works Cited:

Official Guidebook, Golden Gate International Exposition on San Francisco Bay, 1939.