Visual Aspects
Japanese
Dinnerware sets like the ones in European culture do not exist in Japan. People use dishwares of various different shapes, colors, and materials together on the same table. Additionally, when buying dishwares, people typically buy each dishware separately (for example, it is normal to only buy a rice bowl at a time).
Therefore, there is more contrast than harmony.
Western
Usually, harmony is achieved by matching a set of dishes. Sets of dishwares with matching designs are sold as dinnerware sets.
Left: A miso-soup bowl. Not only miso-soup bowls, but also chopsticks, chopsticks stand, and tray are all wooden. As seen in this photo, wood is still an important material to Japanese dishware.
Right: Hard and strong porcelain is the most widely used material for Western dishware.
Why do they have distinct styles for coordinating dishwares on the table?
The reason why Japanese culture does not value uniformity in dishware designs on the table as much as Western culture is because of its unique aesthetic value.
Japanese traditional aesthetic is called Wabi-sabi(侘び寂び). Wabi (侘び) means to accept melancholy or disappointment for the state that does not go as we want and stay positive to try for a better. Sabi (寂び) is a concept of appreciating the beauty of what is incomplete, old, and worn. Wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) is more like a feeling rather than a concept to appreciate the beauty of imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete nature. In short, Wabi-sabi means to appreciate the imperfection of nature.
Wabi-sabi aesthetics is easier to understand by seeing Japanese gardens. Japanese garden designs minimize changes made by humans and aim for natural harmony of gardens and surrounding landscapes. For example, trees, rocks, and other elements are not lined up orderly. They are placed to look random and natural so that gardens naturally blend into surrounding landscapes.
Hence, what Japanese culture seeks in dishware is a natural harmony between each dish (food) and dishware. In other words, dishwares complement the different appearance and atmosphere of each dish (food) and fit the dish. Therefore, different dishwares are used for different dishes. Instead, there is no uniformity on the table.
Western culture values harmony on the table because of its aesthetic value which is very contrasting to Japanese aesthetic value.
An interesting characteristic of Western aesthetics is a strong sense of mathematical harmony such as geometrical and symmetrical beauty. Subsequently, it also prefers to change the appearance of natural objects to make them look more symmetrical and cleanly shaped.
For example, in Western gardens, trees and bushes tend to be trimmed into perfect geometrical shapes and placed symmetrically. Unlike Japanese gardens that aim to naturally harmonize with the surrounding landscape, Western gardens aim for more geometrical, artificial beauty. Another example is western art. Perspectives created through mathematical ratios and 3-D depth created by linear perspective, a technique that employs parallel lines that converge at a single vanishing point to create the illusion of depth on a flat surface, are both pursuits of mathematically calculated beauty.
Mathematical beauty can also be seen in Western dishwares. A partial reason why Western culture prefers to use dinnerware sets that are consistent in design is that they look more symmetrical and clean. Unlike Japanese culture which mixes various different designs on the table, Western dinnerware sets create cleanliness and unity on the table. This is why, compared to Japanese culture which values the differences in the appearance of dishes (food), Western culture prefers having consistency in dishwares.
Top Left: Japanese gardens aim to naturally harmonize with the surrounding landscape, therefore looking more random than symmetry.
Bottom Left: A meal at a Japanese restaurant. Dishwares are all different designs, but each dishware complements the color and atmosphere of each dish.
Top Right: In Western gardens, trees are trimmed into geometrical shapes to look mathematically beautiful.
Bottom Right: A meal at a Western restaurant. Consistency in the design and shape of the dishwares gives unity to the table.
Why are Japanese and Western Aesthetics So Different?
The first model of Wabi-Sabi, in other words, the idea of appreciating the imperfection of nature is considered to be originated in China or India. It is said that respect for elegance and style imported from China evolved and led to Japanese aesthetics Wabi-Sabi. Since China was the main trade partner for Japan for a long time, Japanese aesthetics were built from the foundation of Chinese religion and aesthetic values. Western ideas did not influence the creation of the Japanese aesthetic because of nearly no interaction between Japan and the West due to geographical obstacles. A strong sense of mathematics in Western aesthetics developed from advanced mathematics in the West. Japan also had developed mathematics that was different than Western mathematics, but it did not affect Japanese aesthetics as much.