Strolling to nothingness: Japanese Tea Gardens and the initiation of Bildung

Although the alienating journey into the unknown as the fundament of transformative education may have gained a paradigmatic expression in the German concept of Bildungsreise, it is neither a solely German or even European concept, nor is it a child of the 18th century: the transformative power of travelling has been acknowledged at least since antiquity in Europe, and comparable reflections and practices have evolved in other parts of the world. This paper will introduce one of those examples that may, only on first view though, look quite distinct from what is suggested as Bildungsreise: the strolling on the roji 露地, the path through the tea garden, before entering the chashitsu 茶室, the tea room, to participate in chanoyu 茶の湯, the tea ceremony, as it has found its Classic form in 16th century Japan. Discussing this Japanese practice will not only support an inter-cultural perspective on the educating travel and the relevance of space for the theory and practice of transformative education or Bildung, but also – more relevant from a philosophical point of view – enable an analysis of the conceptual core of the idea of a transformative journey. As will be shown, far from being a special case of education or Bildung, this conceptual structure lies at the very heart of both.