Chiara Rita Napolitano

Dr. Chiara Rita Napolitano, a JSPS postdoctoral researcher at Kyoto University, explores the fascinating world of machiya, traditional urban homes, and seikatsu bunka, the culture of everyday life. She discusses the impact of COVID on cleaning habits in traditional versus modern settings and reveals how communal cleaning practices like kadohaki have historically strengthened community ties. Chiara also examines the shifts from traditions tied to kegare, or pollution, to modern cleanliness norms, illustrating how these transformations reflect social changes in contemporary Japan.