Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed in that gods, or kami, exist everywhere in nature. Prayer was a way to express gratitude for the sun, rain and other blessings of nature, and this prayerful spirit manifested itself in many traditional designs. Our guest this week on DESIGN TALKS is Nobuhiro Nishitakatsuji, deputy chief priest of the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Kyushu. Together with this young and dynamic priest, who is full of ideas for making his centuries-old shrine relevant to people today, we'll explore the concept of prayer in Japanese design.