| Abstract |

The countries of Austria and Japan have a rich history of appreciating the aesthetic qualities of their natural environments. It can thus be deduced that the probability of these two nations protecting their natural environment and finding nature-based solutions to problems of modern life in cities is high. Despite the potential endorsement of this perspective by marketing and tourism agencies, the prevailing reality often exhibits significant discrepancies. Human nature frequently stands in opposition to the requirements of nature, culminating in the implementation of greening strategies that, at best, serve as mere disguises rather than authentic solutions.

In this presentation, a critical perspective on nature-based solutions in the cities of Vienna and Tokyo will provide an empirical basis for a broader discussion about green gentrification, local climate action and sustainable urban development. This contribution will inform the ongoing social and environmental discussion of how we can create sustainable urban areas for a better future. 

The present study utilises extensive fieldwork data, integrating it with extant quantitative findings to demonstrate that we can derive insights from both successful and unsuccessful projects and examples in Tokyo and Vienna. This approach is informed by the notion that human nature and human needs are inherently universal. In order to be considered a suitable location for human habitation, a city must be ecologically sustainable. Consequently, there is a necessity to prioritise the pursuit of nature-based solutions.

| Bio |

Florian Purkarthofer is a researcher at the Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies, University of Vienna, Austria and interested in urban studies, hetero-/utopias as critique, and research on sensation and perception in contemporary societies. He is currently working on a project on urban space in Tokyo as a nexus of conflicting individual perceptions and social constructions, by employing experimental methods from multisensory anthropology. Further projects aim at delving into human and non-human co-creation of urban spaces and the social life of digital sensations.

| Date & Time |

u:japan lunch lecture | s11e01
Thursday 2025-10-09, 10:00~11:30

| Place | 

| Platform & Link |

| Further Questions? |

Please contact ujapanlectures.ostasien@univie.ac.at or visit https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/s11/#e01.

| Abstract |

Well-being and happiness are closely related to our everyday lives, have been addressed by policies and societal discourses and can be a stimulating subject for private conversations. In research, subjective well-being is often measured at an individual level, focusing on experiences and self-ratings of participants of larger cross-national studies. While such surveys have their merits, they can cover the (personal, local or societal) context of the complex experience of well-being only to a limited degree. This talk first introduces dominant discourses on well-being in Austria and Japan, illustrating differences and similarities across these societies. Second, I will depart from a comparison of statistics, taking a deeper look into the well-being of some residents in a rural region on Kyushu island in Japan. I will introduce an approach of well-being that is grounded in the natural environment of the area and the activities of everyday life in rural society. I will demonstrate how doing something to make someone happy, turns out to be a positive experience for oneself, too. This reciprocal and processual understanding of well-being encourages us to understand well-being and happiness to be something experienced together rather than being entirely restricted to the individual – not only in Japan, but also in Austria or any other society. 

| Bio |

| Date & Time |

u:japan lecture | s10e11
Thursday 2025-06-26 | 15:30 ~ 17:00 JST | 8:30 ~ 10:00 CEST

| Place | 

| Plattform & Link |

| Further Questions? |

Please contact ujapanlectures.ostasien@univie.ac.at or visit https://japanologie.univie.ac.at/ujapanlectures/s10/#e11.