A journey to the heart of Japan
Omote (the public face) and ura (the private face) are twin concepts that are applied to almost any aspect of Japan or life in Japan. Omote refers to the image which an individual, a company, or any institution wishes to present to outsiders or the public in general. As with any image, omote is composed… [Read more]
Yakuza are criminals who are organized into criminal organizations somewhat like the Mafia in the US and Italy. For many decades, the yakuza were a relatively minor type of criminal, but in recent decades, they have become more of a problem. Until the early 1960s yakuza concentrated on gambling, especially pachinko, and the entertainment industry… [Read more]
Very few types of gambling are legal in Japan except for betting on horse-racing, motorboat racing and so on. Pachinko is the one of the few games which is legal although pinball games abound especially at festivals. Card games such as poker are not legal if played for money. Mahjong is commonly played, often for… [Read more]
Omote (the public face) and ura (the private face) are twin concepts that are applied to almost any aspect of Japan or life in Japan. Omote refers to the image which an individual, a company, or any institution wishes to present to outsiders or the public in general. As with any image, omote is composed… [Read more]
Every Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine offers a variety of prayer tablets, amulets and talismans to worshippers for protection in a wide variety of endeavors ranging from traffic safety to success in examinations to success in business. While some of these are purchased to put in a specific place (to attach to a briefcase or… [Read more]
Daruma are doll-like representations of the Indian priest Bodhidharma who founded the school of Buddhist meditation which became Chan Buddhism in China or Zen Buddhism in Japan. Bodhidharma, or Daruma, is popularly believed to have spent so much time in meditation that his legs atrophied. Hence, the daruma dolls have no representations of legs; they… [Read more]
Finding one’s way along the highways of old Japan was not difficult. The distance between post-towns was usually just a few miles, and the road was marked by namiki (trees lining the highway) and the occasional stone signpost. Ichirizuka marked off exactly how far had been traveled. Nevertheless, as with today’s traveler, most people preferred… [Read more]
Manga (cartoons and comics) are one of the most striking aspects of Japanese life today. Whether reading the newspaper, looking at advertisements or watching television, manga seem to be everywhere. One only has to ride the commuter trains and see primary school children, university students and middle-aged businessmen pouring over 450-page volumes of ‘Boy’s Champion’… [Read more]
For miles around the gentle slopes to the west of Karuizawa there are besso (‘country villas’ or ‘second homes’) scattered on sizable, secluded plots of land. Rustic, often Western style homes for vacation use in the summer or on the weekend are all over the place. Similar vacation areas with besso can be found in… [Read more]
It is virtually impossible not to find Western influences in Japan. Walk along the Nakasendo and within a mile or two the traveler will pass a roadside shrine no bigger than a doll house. Somebody will have left off a small bunch of flowers, perhaps some wild flowers, perhaps some weed flowers, carefully placed in… [Read more]
Karuizawa might have shrunk into quiet decay like many old post-towns, including neighboring Oiwake, but instead it has developed into a summer resort area. Its population of about 20,000 can be swamped by the tens of thousands of visitors up from Tokyo for a week or a day. Karuizawa was “discovered” by foreign missionaries around… [Read more]
Getting married in any society is not an easy business and in Japan, even though the idea of ‘love matches’ has come into vogue, marriage carries many social overtones. It is the joining of two families of equal or nearly equal social status as much as the joining of two individuals. As such, the interests… [Read more]
The traditional meal centers on rice to such an extent that the word gohan means both rice and a meal. Rice was the main dish and was eaten in great quantities with side dishes of vegetables, meats, and soy bean-products supplementing the main course. In modern times, however, rice has declined in importance as prosperity… [Read more]
Anyone who visits Japan, especially during the year end celebrations in December and January, will realize that the level of alcohol consumption in Japan is fairly high. The number of happily drunk men, and recently an increasing number of women, on public transport is unmistakable. At many festivals, especially cherry blossom viewing, picnics, and outings,… [Read more]
Festivals in Japan are many and varied, and in recent years, they have become popular again after experiencing disapproval and obscurity in the decades immediately after 1945. Many festivals are connected with the Shinto religion or have roots in the feudal periods, such as Boys’ Day. Because the values or attitudes embedded in them have… [Read more]
Held on March 3, Girls’ Festival features a display of dolls representing the imperial court displayed on a platform with the emperor and empress at the top and lower ranked attendants or entertainers below. A meal with special foods and candies is also prepared for the occasion. The modern festival gained popularity in all classes… [Read more]
Boys’ festival falls on May 5 and is officially designated as Children’s Day with due respect to prohibitions against sexual discrimination (since 1948). During the ten or so days surrounding the day, it is customary for families with male children to set up a pole topped by decorations. On the pole are hoisted a streamer… [Read more]
Ichinomiya means the first or most important shrine and refers to the main Shinto shrine in a province (the provincial system has been replaced by the present prefectural system). These shrines continue, in most cases, to be among the main Shinto shrines. The granting of special status to important shrines dates back to the 8th… [Read more]
Springs (onsen) have been valued for centuries as places to bathe; nothing is better for relaxation and there are medicinal benefits as well. Hot springs may also be used as an energy source: to produce electricity, heat the public bath, defrost the public roads, and even heat greenhouses where vegetables are grown. Most people, however,… [Read more]
Baseball is an imported sport, but it records the highest level of popularity, earning the game the title of national sport along with sumo. Baseball is played at all competitive levels with great enthusiasm among players and spectators. Baseball came to Japan first in 1873, just five years after the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown. At… [Read more]
Sumo is a form of wrestling which goes back to the earliest historical records in Japanese history. In modern times, sumo has become a professional sport and is extremely popular, arenas for sumo are plentiful throughout Japan. Since it is native to Japan, it can perhaps better be described as the national sport rather than… [Read more]
The Kiso forest is famous for the quality of its lumber. During the Edo period, the ruling samurai class put so much value on the wood that common people were prohibited from cutting the five trees of the Kiso river valley. Shimazaki Toson’s novel Before the Dawn relates in the first few pages the case… [Read more]
The railroad in Japan is the focus of a great deal of romanticism. Children can frequently be found taking snap shots of their favorite trains, especially the rare ones, while adults travel further afield to do the same or simply to ride the rails in the more inaccessible parts of the train system. Much of… [Read more]
Trains came to Japan late and like many technological advances railways arrived after being well developed elsewhere. This allowed the Japanese to begin building in the 1870s with a good view of the technological choices they needed to make. Early railroads were constructed by the government which decided on a standard gauge; henceforth, the government’s… [Read more]
The Japanese government correctly perceived at an early date that a good railway system would be beneficial to the economy. The first small railway ran from Tokyo to Yokohama in 1872, but gradually the system was extended until it connected Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, the main cities of the center of Japan. Soon freight… [Read more]
The Japanese tourist has become a ubiquitous figure throughout the world. Typically, he or she is part of a travel group with a guide waving a small flag, moving the group at a rapid pace through the day’s schedule. The tourist is heavily slung with cameras, video recorders, and perhaps a tape recorder to catch… [Read more]
Kura are a distinctive feature of house architecture throughout Japan and are seen in both rural and urban areas. The wooden structure of most houses is very prone to fire, but kura, separated from the main house, offered storage and protection for valuables. Kura have thick, mud walls, heavy, fire-proof windows and walls, and are… [Read more]
Japanese gardens hold a well-deserved reputation throughout the world. The most famous ones are located mainly in Kyoto, but gardens of national repute are scattered throughout the islands. In addition to serious gardening at this level, most homes and inns have modest gardens which, although much smaller, require equal attention. Gardens may be large and… [Read more]
Although there are sharp differences between houses from various regions of Japan in terms of roof shape and roofing material, for example, many features are common. In general, all houses contain tatami (thick straw mats) for flooring. The size of the mats is standard so the layout of all rooms conforms to set sizes: 3… [Read more]
The provision of lodging for high-ranking travelers was obligatory at most post-towns, and nearly all had at least one honjin (chief inn) and waki-honjin (assistant chief inn) for such people to rest. Ordinary travelers could also stay here, provided they were prepared to pay the higher fees and no higher ranking person was already expected…. [Read more]
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