Friday was our last full day of "escorted, guided" tour days here in Japan. Yuricka, our guide is a kind, gentle, really sweet young lady, about 50'ish, (hey, that's young to us!). She is knowledgeable but her heavy Japanese accent makes much of her presentation difficult to understand. She tries hard to keep all 13 of us elderly chicks safe and under control. Overall, she represents the great gulf that still exists between our two nations and our two cultures. And, the difficulty seems even greater because of the communication barriers. It's really true that real connections start with good communication.
Japan is an island nation with many regions that were divided by mountains and rivers through the centuries. Even in Japan the people still have regional feelings. It's similar to any other nation. A Texan would never consider Massachusetts home even if he lived there most of his life because he will always be a Texan first.
In Japan, these regional loyalties fed into the numerous warlords who governed the people. Shintoism is the foundational belief system with the founding deities at the top and thus the Emperor as a direct descendant of the gods. For most of Japan's history, their Emperor has been revered and worshipped as a god.
That all changed once an all-powerful "Shogun" consolidated military power. Minamoto Yoritomo defeated many minor warlords, confiscated their lands and consolidated the real government under the Samurai rules of Bushido. Even though he ruled for only 7 years, he set the foundations for modern Japan by bringing the country together under one government (theoretically with the Emperor's permission and blessings, although that was just a formality... similar to today where Queen Elizabeth approves the rule of the British Prime Minister). The "Shogun" was the top general of generals and ruled with an iron hand. No dissent was allowed or tolerated. Any commoner who was even slightly disrespectful literally lost his head! Any samurai was either killed or if the Shogun allowed, he would keep his honor by committing Seppuku, also known as hari-kari.
This created a land and people who follow rules and laws. It creates a "hive mind" where a group, region, the nation comes together to carry out the will of the Emperor. This will be very apparent during the 2020 Summer Olympics here in Tokyo.
It was very apparent during WWII when the Japanese felt honored to die for their Emperor!
Born: May 9, 1147, Owari Province
Died: February 9, 1199, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
Spouse: Hōjō Masako (m. 1179–1199)
The Shogunate was not a stable form of government and there were many wars and insurrections for hundreds of years due to many different warlords who wanted to be the Shogun! That was all settled by
Born: January 31, 1543, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture
Died: June 1, 1616, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture
Spouse: Asahi no kata (m. 1586–1590), Lady Tsukiyama(m. 1557–1579)
The Tokugawa period was the second wave. This period was the golden age of the Samurai. It ended with the Meiji Restoration which brought back the Emperor as the true head of government 1868. The movie "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise is about this moment in Japan's history. In reality, the Emperor doesn't rule, he just oversees the grand designs of his many ministers and officials. The Meiji Restoration was the true founding of Modern Japan, which in 50 years went from a closed, feudal nation which was based on farming, agriculture, and fishing into a world power with a formidable army, a powerful navy that would defeat the Russian at Port Arthur, and a society that rapidly became Westernized in dress and manners.
Today's Japan is yet another metamorphosis from the ashes of the total destruction and devastation of WWII into the 3rd largest economy in the world. All this with a population of only 135 million people.
Yet, the "Old Japan" never died. Their total devotion to personal honor, duty, perfection, family, and their Emperor gives the nation a unity of mind and the society a calm and serenity missing from most other countries.
Their strong adherence to Shinto beliefs, their devotion to Buddhists principles, and their ability to assimilate and amalgamate new ideas with their old systems have allowed the Japanese to thrive in the new 21st-century world.
Enough of the history lesson. But, you have to know the history of a people to try to understand their modern norms, mores, culture and behaviors.
We started out a bit earlier today. It was cloudy, rainy, and foggy. We took a 2 plus hours ride to Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji is more than just the tallest mountain in Japan, it is the home of their main deities. It is a "holy mountain", perhaps similar to Mount Sinai to the Jews and Christians.
This was the "smoky" mountains along much of the ride to Mount Fuji.
A map of the area showing the high congestion and development of nearly every square inch of arable land. There were rice fields in the middle of many small towns!
We stopped about half-way at an official rest stop. Not like America's interstate rest stops, these are little commercial centers, much more servicable than most of our truck stops. Little shops with Starbucks coffee to souvenirs and meals of all kinds. The toilets were clean and well maintained. And, lots and lots of people, even on a work day!
We finally got to the 5th station of Mount Fuji. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the summit due to the cloudy weather. But it was not a total washout because the rain began to dissipate and we did get some views. This is an Alpine building replica with a major tourist trap shops. What amazed me was the orderly flow of so many people. No apparent conflicts or difficulties. Well, we did experience a bit within our little group, but that's the American way!
My Sweetheart in front of the world famous Mount Fuji mailbox.
My Darling in front of the sign explaining the view into the valley.
My Sweet Lady with our tour guide, Yuricka.
The two of us standing in front of Mount Fuji. On a clear day, we were told, you would have been able to see the top of the mountain. This place, the 5th station, is the starting point for those who want to climb Mount Fuji. For some, it is a holy pilgrimage. They buy a walking stick and the Shinto priests stamp the stick at each of the main stations up to the top. The main trek is done at night and timed to arrive at the top before dawn to witness the spectacular sunrise over Mount Fuji. I'm told it's a most spiritual and moving experience.
This is Mount Fuji on a clear day as depicted on some posters.
Here is one lucky fella with a beautiful lady in front of the 5th station sign!!! Yep, one lucky guy!
The many, many busses there at the stop! It is the main tourist spot for the Japanese!
Afterward, we were taken to the Lake Hakone area and a nice hot springs hotel for a lunch buffet. The meal was forgettable, or not memorable except for how un-Japanese it was! It was a large hotel with natural hot springs, saunas, and other amenities. The Japanese work hard and play hard and relax harder. Here is my Darling in front of their lobby photo.
This Torii gate is by Lake Asagahi, another big lake in this area. We are here to ride the touristy ferry across the lake and enjoy the serenity of the placid waters.
But, they've commericialized it to the max. They have several replica ferries that resemble Pirates of the Carribean saliling ships. Tacky to me, fun to the Japanese!
Our next to last event was a ride up a cable car, they call it a rope car, to the top of a mountain surrounding the lake. Again, the poor weather prevented us from experiencing the ultimate moments because you are supposed to get wonderful views of Mount Fuji during the ride up and down this mountain. Alas, we did have some views, but just a glimpse of the top area of Mount Fuji during the ride up and back down.
Still, my Super Trooper is all smiles and is such a pleasant and wonderful travel companion. She is tough, never quits, and never complains. I am so blessed!
Our final event of a long, long day was a short ride on the Bullet Train, the Shinshiken. We got to experience the speed of the train... about 200 miles an hour cruising speed! Hardly felt anything. No clickety-clacks, not much noise. Very similar to riding a plane with the whooshing sound of the air going by and the landscape speeding past us in a blur!
Guess this old man is happy to be with his lady, don't you think?!!!
Our final stop on the tour was when Yuricka took us through the Shinagawa station during rush hour... throngs and throngs of people moving in salmon like schools and streaming toward their destinations, truly amazing!, and she escorted us to the taxi stand where we caught a very modern taxi, with a woman driver at that! We shared the taxi with Robert, the 95 year old WWII vet and his girl Mei, a "young lady" about 82 or so.
Once back, we then went out and found a small restaurant near our hotel and had a delicious bowl of soup and noodles before returning for the night.
All in all, a good day, a great tour so far, and wonderful, amazing, delicious, and sweet memories!
We are so looking forward to the Seoul, Korea portion of this trip. It will be full of many points and triggers for me. It has been 26 years since I was there in 1992 and the changes will be great and many for sure. Still, it will be interesting to see what my Darling sees in Korea. I have strong ideas about this Korea-Japan dichotomy.
I hope you are all well, that God is blessing you with His Love, Mercy, Grace, and Blessings.
Stay healthy, safe, and be happy in your love!
See you later!
Much Love to all of you!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment