of the buildings. Some of the presentations tangentially mention the environmental, urban and topographical influences in the design; several talk about connections with nature, while others speak about traditional elements in the design. Before continuing to the last issue from this period, I would summarize the issues edited by Botond Bognar. Bognar, who studied architecture at Tokyo Institute of Technology during the 1970s, is someone who knew the architecture scene in Japan very well. He was in touch with the architects about whom he wrote. Coming from Europe and living in Japan for several years, particularly the critical years of late 1970s, Bognar was well aware of the critical shift in Japanese architecture. He understood that the Western and Japanese approaches in design have a different positions, and that Japanese architecture should be read primarily through the reference of the Japanese society. In a recent interview (2015) discussing his first article in AD, “Tadao Ando – A Redefinition of Space, Time and Existence”, Bognar stated that through Shozo Baba, the editor of JA magazine, he got to know Ando personally; he had several visits to Ando’s buildings together with the architect before he wrote his fist articles in Architectural Design and Architectural Review. This position of direct contact with Japanese architecture at the time was still the privilege of very few individuals. Between the three issues, the one in 1988 and the two in 1992, there are several gradual differences and evolutions in thought, but essentially they capture the same idea that Japanese architecture is a product of the unique Japanese reality. In the beginning, the presentation is focused on the fragmentary and heterogeneous aspects of the urban environment, and later the focus moves towards the impermanent and ever-changing aspects of that environment. The issue from 1988 reinforces the fragmentary aspects by also presenting the architects more individualistically, highlighting their unique theoretical positions. This results in an extremely heterogeneous image for the Japanese architecture scene. The first presentation in 1992 keeps the heterogeneity as a platform, but gives certain indications towards sorting and possible
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