Red pansy (Japan, Nara)

In the Japanese imagination, the color red (aka-iro / 赤色) is not just about passion: it protects. A symbol of vital energy, it is historically associated with Shinto talismans and children's clothing intended to ward off evil spirits.

To wear a red cap in the winter of Nara, the ancient sacred capital, is perhaps—consciously or not—to summon a tradition of gentle protection .

The scene also evokes a broader Japanese aesthetic: that of yūgen (幽玄), that feeling of mysterious elegance, of contained emotion, which arises between light and silence. This word has no direct equivalent in French, but it designates a subtle, veiled beauty , which we perceive more than we understand.