Greetings to all….from the Land of the Rising Sun. I think
I am lucky to be always in or around the land where the
sun rises. There is Arunachal, bordering my native
Assam where the Sun rises majestically to bring a new
day in 'Bharat-borxo' by blessing its blue mountains with
the first rays of sunshine. And here it is Nippon, the 'Land
of the Rising Sun' and my present abode. Yeah, I am
talking about the land of 'Samurai, Sashimi and Sushi',
the land of 'Kimono'. At least that was all I knew about
Japan and the Japanese before I came to this country.
This is a country famous for its Toyota, Honda, Sony or
Panasonic world over. But many of us are still unaware of
its rich and interesting culture. By economy, Japan was
nowhere when it surrendered to United Stated and the
Allied powers in 1945 after the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but, within three decades, it
became the second biggest economy in the world even
threatening the No. 1 position of the US economy during
'80s.
Despite its economic and technological achievements,
and influence of Western cultures, Japan is preserving its
culture like no other country. The Japanese take pride in
their own culture, but at the same time like to experience
and absorb the best of others' cultures and ways of life,
be it in food or fashion, or, music to mansions. But,
always after giving a Japanese touch to it. When I think
about influence of Indian culture in Japan, the first thing
that comes to my mind is curry. Though the main concept
is from India, they have modified it to plenty of varieties
that are easy to cook (in powder form, mainly for the
gravy) and fit the taste of a Japanese tongue. Food, in
fact, is a part and parcel of Japanese life. More than 50%
of the Japanese television programs are directly or
indirectly related to food, be it food making, food tasting
or searching for a nice restaurant of certain delicacy.
Again, in most of the usual restaurants, you can find at
least one type of food that is actually not Japanese, but
'Japanized'. One can easily see this 'Japanese versions'
looking at a menu of Domino's Pizza or Pizza hut, or
ordering a burger at McDonalds, a popular place among
Japanese youngsters in their teens. You can order a
pizza with toppings such as Kimchi (a hot Korean
delicacy) or eggplant. Sounds strange?? But they really
taste good!! Ever heard of squid-ice cream or an octopus-
ice-cream? You can find them in Japan alongside the
usual flavors. The ability of the Japanese to adopt, adapt
and improve on good customs, practices and styles from
other countries has already won them success globally in
cars, electronics and fashion. And now it seems they are
into using their 'Japanese craftmanship' to food and
beverages that once belonged to the West, by producing
some of the finest chocolates, ice-creams, beers and
wines. These are now commodities usual in an average
Japanese's life and the companies that make them are
trying their best to produce brands that are successful in
their homeland before venturing abroad.
A language barrier often discourages potential tourists to
Japan. Visiting places far from big cities, such as Tokyo
or Osaka is often difficult for those who do not understand
Japanese as most of the road sign are written in Kanji
(Chinese character) or in a mix of the Kanji with Hiragana
and Katakana, the two other alphabets used in Japanese.
There are also few locals that can speak or understand
English. However, in big cities like Tokyo or while
traveling through the highways, one is not much in trouble
as signs or station names are also displayed in English
and, in case you get lost, there is a good chance that you
will find someone nearby who can also help you with your
directions in English. The Japanese are often very helpful
and kind to foreigners and you can feel it once you ask
for help. But, they are often shy to talk to strangers (yeah,
even the adults), especially when you ask something in
English and the person is not proficient in it. Younger
generations are much eager and enthusiastic about
learning English which is easily visible from numerous
English schools almost everywhere in Japan. In fact,
English education is a big business in Japan and native
speakers are in very high demand. Another
discouraging factor for tourists has been the high living
expenses in Japanese cities along with high travel costs.
However, after decades of flocking in millions to other
countries of the world and spending their yen, Japanese
tourism is now gearing to attract more visitors from
abroad than ever using promotional discounts in shops
and travel along with new facilities for visitors.
While the capital of Japan, Tokyo, with an estimated
population of 25 million is highly dense, most of Japan is
sparsely populated with a mountain range running
through the middle of the country. Tokyo is one of
cleanest and safest cities in the world consisting of
several smaller cities that are efficiently connected
through its huge subway and overland train systems
which are very efficient and punctual to the minute. The
heart of Tokyo is linked with almost all major areas in
Japan by the world-famous bullet-train (called
Shinkansen) system debuted in 1964, with trains running
at over 250 km/h (upto 300 km/h) in half-hourly or hourly
intervals. Yamanote-sen, the train line that circles the
central Tokyo touches stations like Shibuya, the teen
mecca, where Japan's trendy school girls' fashions, not
the fashion designers, decide what the teens of rest of
Japan or East/South-east Asia will adore and wear in the
near future. The Yamanote-line touches the historic and
beautiful Tokyo Station, from where the Imperial Palace,
residence to the present (125th) Emperor Akihito and his
family, stands graciously within minutes' walk. It also
touches Shinjuku, the busiest station in Japan serving 6
railway lines and 4 million passengers per day. Around
the Shinjuku station are the biggest entertainment,
shopping and business areas of Tokyo. If bored and tired
with the Tokyo above-ground and whole lot of Tokyo that
lies underground, one can climb up to the Tokyo Tower,
completed in 1958 as a symbol for Japan's rebirth as a
major economic power. It stands tall at 333m, 13 m
higher than Eiffel tower, and provides a bird's eye view of
the endless sea of buildings and bridges. You can also
smell the cool breeze coming from grand Mount Fuji!
Need to feel wealthy? Head to Ginza. With the world's
costliest real estate, it is popular among the older
generations and the wealthy with shops of the costliest
brands in the world, and where you can find the infamous
$10 a cup coffee. If you have a liking for futuristic cities
and entertainment, then take a fully computerized, pilot-
less monorail to Odaiba, a new futuristic shopping and
entertainment district on one of the many manmade
islands of Tokyo Bay. Amazing, futuristic buildings, theme
parks await you there, and from its seaside park with
numerous restaurants one can enjoy a spectacular view
of the beautiful Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo
Port and it skyline. For more ardent nature-lovers, not far
from Tokyo by train lies the tranquil place of peace and
harmony, the international tourist resort of Hakone with
magnificent gardens, historic spots and excellent
amusement facilities.
All in all, Japan and its capital Tokyo is a place worth
visiting. Japan truly is a 'world in itself'. In any country,
the most interesting aspect to know is about its people
and their way of life, for people make a country. My
account today is like describing the beauty of a pretty
woman's skin but not what lies underneath. A nice skin
looks always great, but going deep under it makes one
see the real world… often fascinating and sometimes
ugly!!! I hope someday I will have the chance to write
about it too.
Contributed by Pranab J. Baruah, Postdoctoral Research
Associate, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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