A journey to the heart of Japan
The Japanese political structure was reformed by the Allied Occupation after 1945 in ways that were intended to democratize the country by removing impediments to democracy and by imposing some new institutions. At the top on the national level, the emperor is now a ceremonial institution, much like the British monarchy. The institution still has,… [Read more]
A political campaign in Japan is very carefully limited by laws as well as by tradition. Legally, some forms of campaigns common in other countries are prohibited: door-to-door soliciting for votes is illegal, for example. Others forms that are prohibited are more familiar: gifts may not be given to voters (they might constitute bribes) and… [Read more]
As Chizuru indicates, education is critically important in Japan today, but even in Torazaemon’s time, many people required the benefits of education. In truth, the importance and value attached to education in the Edo period provided a basis and a positive orientation to education which offered the modernizers of the nineteenth century a good base… [Read more]
There is often an impression that although the Japanese have developed a strong sense of appreciation for their landscape, they appreciate a carefully cultivated garden more than the natural environment or a contemplative stroll in a park rather than a hike in the mountains. Perhaps the most popular rural sport is fishing. In a nation… [Read more]
Golf may not be mentioned with sumo wrestling and baseball as a national pastime, but it certainly ranks high on the list for a sports enthusiast in Japan. The number of golf courses, practice ranges, and practice nets in backyards would surprise even the inventors of the game, the Scots. Walk along any commuter train… [Read more]
Records show that many of the 67 post-towns on the Nakasendo were established long before the highway was officially laid out in 1602. Some had even been designated as post-towns on earlier roads. For his new system of highways, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu demanded that designated post-towns be established at frequent, regular intervals, and that each… [Read more]
The Nakasendo may have been a road through the mountains and half as wide as the Tokaido which followed the flatter coastal areas, but it was very heavily traveled in the Edo period. The primary reason for the highway system through Japan was to provide the Tokugawa shogunate with the communication network it required to… [Read more]
Princess Kazunomiya was the sister of Emperor Komei (reigned 1846-67) and was married to the 14th Tokugawa shogun, Iemochi, in 1862. The marriage was a political device intended to bring the imperial court and the Tokugawa shogunate into harmony, even though the princess, then aged 16, was already betrothed to someone else within the imperial… [Read more]
In many parts of the world today the main population concern is that there are too many people and not enough resources to support everyone. In Japan there is also worry that with a population in excess of 123 million, the number of people is too high for a resource-scarce country with little flat land… [Read more]
Among the many images of the 1950s held by elderly Japanese people today are those of school-leavers boarding trains for the cities. This image is not just that of one family wishing farewell to a son or daughter, but of a whole village turning out to wave good-bye to a newly graduated middle school or… [Read more]
Buddhism entered Japan after the Indian offshoot from Hinduism was transformed in China. Together with Shinto, it is the religion which most Japanese profess to and has been a major religious and cultural influence on Japan. Buddhism entered Japan in the great wave of Chinese cultural influence in the 6th century. Specifically, Buddhism is said… [Read more]
Shinto is Japan’s native religion. It is often called ‘The Way of the Gods’ because it is written with two Chinese characters which can be so translated. Shinto often seems to be a confusing amalgam of beliefs because it combines a huge variety of local traditions with a more tightly defined body of beliefs important… [Read more]
Christianity came to Japan in two waves: in the 16th century and again in the 19th and 20th centuries. In both periods, it achieved some influence and made a moderate number of converts, but it has always remained Japan’s least important religion compared to Shinto and Buddhism. The Jesuits traveled with Portuguese and Spanish explorers… [Read more]
Ishidatami or ‘paving stones’ were laid down on rough patches of road, particularly over the mountain passes which were steep at the top and prone to erosion in the rainy season. Stones were laid carefully so that porters and carriers would have sure footing when they most needed it. Other than this, no attempt was… [Read more]
Dosojin are guardian deities who are closely associated with roads, travelers and local boundaries. They were assigned the task of keeping evil away from the Nakasendo and its travelers. Dosojin come in many forms, but are generally small, carved stones in a human shape. Often, they come in pairs of figures, but sometimes they are… [Read more]
One of the aids for both travelers and the people who worked on the highways in the early Edo period were regular distance markers, similar to the notion of ‘mile posts’ seen on Western roads. Rather than a simple post or stone pillar, however, Japanese highways were typically marked by large earthen mounds known as… [Read more]
One of the most difficult tasks facing the new Meiji government in the late 19th century was to redefine the old feudal system of government into a modern democratic and more manageable system. The original 261 feudal domains of vastly varying sizes were initially made prefectures under the rule of the former daimyo, but soon… [Read more]
Since 1960, market gardening has been encouraged by the government as an alternative to rice cultivation which has long been seen as subject to low economic returns and to high price fluctuations due to over or under-production. Official policy encourages farmers to switch to money crops like vegetables and fruits. These often provide higher yields… [Read more]
Only about 16% of Japan’s land is considered suitable for farming. This includes a considerable portion which is too steep to terrace for rice or other flat land crops which have a high yield and, usually, a high economic return. This land, however, is crucially important to agriculture. Many crops are suitable only to upland farming since… [Read more]
Rice has traditionally been the main-stay of the Japanese diet. Until the most recent times, many people ate only rice, vegetables and pickles with an occasional piece of fish, chicken or other meat. Since rice provided most of the calories and a good portion of the vitamins and protein required for sustenance, successful cultivation has… [Read more]
Compared to other developed nations Japan has a relatively small amount of land available for agriculture. In fact, only 16 percent of the land surface is suitable for cultivation, yet a comparatively high proportion of the workforce is engaged in farming. As a result, Japan has one of the highest densities of farmers per acre… [Read more]
The Warring States period (Sengoku jidai) lasted for the century from 1467 to 1567 although the wars and confusion of the age were not finally ended until the creation of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. The name is drawn from a similar period of civil war in China. It saw the breakdown of central authority,… [Read more]
In Japan, the first hydro-electric power was produced in 1890. After 1912, hydro-electric plants supplied more than 50% of Japan’s electricity. Only after World War II did the balance between power from thermal plants and power from hydro-electric plants tip in favor of thermal plants. This was when thermal plant efficiency was quickly increasing and… [Read more]
Since Japan is an island nation, transport by boat has always been important. The country’s rivers, however, are short and fast flowing, so an extensive inland waterway network has never been developed. Nevertheless, a limited river transport capacity was developed near the coastal regions where rivers were somewhat wider and quieter, particularly around Edo, Osaka,… [Read more]
The Nakasendo was considered an easier route than the Tokaido because it had fewer crossings over large rivers. Rivers in Japan are serious barriers to land transport because they are wide, not navigable and prone to sudden flash floods. Many a travelers’ tale, then, turns on mishaps at river crossings. In the Warring States period,… [Read more]
The battle at Sekigahara in 1600 is seen as the last step in a centuries long process of political unification made remarkable by the degree of warfare. This was the Warring States period. The outcome of the battle was a definition of political relationships which were maintained during two and a half centuries of peace, stability, and… [Read more]
Edo Period The Edo period economy has been hotly debated for years and views of it have radically changed. When the political system was perceived as an unchanging, authoritarian, conservative feudal one throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the economy was supposed to be very much the same. That is to say, it was stifled by the oppressive… [Read more]
Porters and carriers were the primary means by which goods, travelers and their baggage moved along Japanese highways. When the first ‘official’ highways were established in Japan, probably in the 7th century AD, one of their most important functions was to facilitate the smooth passage of the rice tax due to the emperor each year…. [Read more]
The great highways of the Edo period, such as the Tokaido and the Nakasendo, fell into relative decline after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The ‘alternate residence’ system (sankin kotai) had been abolished a few years earlier, and the roads no longer had to support frequent daimyo processions. Furthermore, the imperial court moved to Tokyo… [Read more]
Fire was a constant worry before the advent of new building materials and remains a major concern today. The traditional building was mainly constructed of flammable materials. The basic structure was of wood with the walls woven of bamboo or other material and covered with mud and plaster. Floors were wooden or wood covered over… [Read more]
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