Travel Tale No. 8 - Volume 3 - Japan, Strong Work Ethic
It
was several years before I decided to travel to
Asia
; once I had traveled to
India
, and recuperated from cultural shock, I wanted to see more diverse cultures, so
I thought it best to continue my traveling by going to
Japan
.
I flew in to
Tokyo
and stayed at the Hilton, enjoying its elegance and western cuisine, together
with the ability to Speak English for a while. Rapidly
I had to get used to everything being so small.
Their housing is microscopic, but considering the island is smaller than
California
, they do very well. I was amazed
to see the taxi doors open by themselves and white gloved attendants bowing to
me at the department stores. I found everything to be terribly expensive by
Florida
standards.
From there I took the bullet train to the ancient city of
Kyoto
. I was not used to the pushing and
shoving. Coming from the wide open
spaces of
America
, it was a little difficult getting used to their indigenous culture. I
was literally pushed into the train, later I realized why. The minute the doors
opened on the bullet train, they closed in a matter of seconds.
The train was immaculate and very quiet as nobody spoke to one another;
people were immersed in their newspapers with headphones on.
In
Kyoto
I took a bus tour as this was one country I was completely at a loss with the
language. The tour guide told us in English, after translating in several other
languages, including French and German, that Kyoto had been Japan’s capital
for 1000 years.
I
don’t know what happened to my photos of the
Imperial
Palace
and the
Sanjusangendo
Temple
; but both are magnificent places, and a must see on your list.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Zen atmosphere of peace and quiet and the tea ceremony
at the
Kyoto
Handicraft
Center
, where I watched Geishas dance in 17th century costumes, and
colorful kimonos. I bought all
kinds of different smelling incense and some silk souvenirs.
Kyoto
is very beautiful with its pond and rock gardens which are beautiful places
full of colorful trees.
Kabuki theatre is also an amazing experience, and although I did not understand
the story or the strange yelling and sounds the actors made, I was quite
entertained by their white faces, fierce-looking masks, and clever maneuvering
of swords while dancing. I was also amused to see that the men played the parts
of the females. The toilets were
just holes in the ground as the Japanese women prefer them over the more western
type accommodation.
However, I was at a total loss when I had to use a public telephone with only
Japanese characters, at the railway station. Miraculously I was able to actually
connect with my party by following international drawings.
One thing that traveling does is that it teaches you to be very creative
when you need to get something accomplished: you have to live by your wits,
which keeps you mentally sharp.
I sampled their cuisine at one of the best restaurants, but I must admit birds
nest soup, sake, and food cooked with monosodium glutamate is not my favorite.
By the time I finished drinking the strong sake, I was no longer sitting
cross-legged on the tatami mats; sprawled out on the floor, would be a better
description, as I left the restaurant with a three hundred dollar bill.
Now I know why somebody invented Chinese take-out food!
After the treaty of Kanagawa with the
United States
in 1854,
Japan
intensely modernized its industry. In
1941
Japan
attacked US Forces, making
America
enter WWII. Following its defeat,
it recovered to become a staunch ally of the
US
. While the emperor retains his
throne as a symbol of national unity, the actual power of the country rests with
the politicians, business executives and bureaucrats; so they enjoy a
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government.
Today, Japan still remains globally a major economic power.
In
2005,
Japan
began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
I
was surprised to learn that there are nearly 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese
origin who migrated to
Japan
to work in their industries. They
also have 244,241 Chinese, 511,262 Koreans, and 89,851 Filipinos, and about
237,914 “other” nationalities living in their small country, a size smaller
than
California
. They are about 84%
Buddhists and Shintos, with 16% “other religions.”
They produce automobiles, electronic equipment, machine tools, ships,
chemicals, textiles, and processed foods, to name a few industries.
While
traveling to
Japan
it is best to take package tours.
Alinka Zyrmont
Photos: Alinka Zyrmont
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