Michael Smith
In October 2009, myself and a colleague at the British school where I worked accompanied a small group of 15/16 year old students to Japan. This photo essay describes the trip, especially the many differences we discovered between our western culture and the Japanese culture in which we were to immerse ourselves.
Day 1
Tokyo
Following a twelve and a half hour flight from London, we landed at Nara Airport, where we bought our important rail cards. These invaluable items would make the following week and a half so much easier to negotiate. They allowed us to travel on any train from the shortest underground ride through to the longest Shinkansen journey. And almost immediately, our first trip using these cards was a simple transfer from Nara Airport to Tokyo centre.
As well as my first time in Asia, this was also my first experience of jetlag. Time zones were such that while our bodies were expecting a late evening meal, Tokyo was offering breakfast. We left our luggage at the hotel, and then travelled via underground only to find ourselves in a distinctly un-famous area of the city. All we wanted at this stage was food, and we all chose something as European as possible: a baguette from a coffee shop with a logo looking suspiciously close to that of Starbucks; the sushi could wait. We must have looked a strange sight to those Tokyo commuters, a small group of Brits, sitting on the pavement munching bread rolls.
Following this much needed sustenance, we then consulted our street map and headed for our first portion of tourist-Tokyo. I can still remember strolling the streets with such unsettling thoughts as, ‘I am on the other side of the world’ and ‘this is the furthest from home I have ever been’. Okay, not exactly Neil Armstrong, but from my Euro-centric perspective, this was a real adventure.
I spoke only a few words of Japanese, yet advertising is instantly recognisable the world over, and Tokyo wears its gaudy advertising with colourful pride.
It was with some relief that we discovered the rail links we would be using displayed information in both English and Japanese. Platforms and carriages were all wonderfully clean and tidy, demonstrating at first hand the overall respect prevalent in Japanese society.
As one travels on the Tokyo underground, one hears short, simple ‘jingles’ announcing information over the loudspeaker system. Only later did I learn that there is much more to these brief clips of music. Back in the 1980s, one of Japan’s top pop groups was Casiopea; today, their keyboard player, Minoru Mukaiya, is one of the world’s most played musicians, with millions of people across Japan hearing his melodies every day, most without even noticing. He composes ‘Hassha Merodie’ or ‘train departure melodies’, the short jingles that accompany commuters at some of the world’s busiest stations. To develop this concept even further, when traveling along a railway line in Japan the jingles at each station, when played in order, form a complete piece of music. (You can find evidence on YouTube; for example, try searching for ‘Keihan Railway Japan (Osaka ⇔ Kyoto) All stations departure melody’.)
Asakusa
Our first tourist stop was the Tokyo suburb of Asakusa, an area dominated by the ancient Buddhist temple, Sensō-ji (also known as Asakusa Kannon), the oldest temple in Tokyo, which attracts around thirty million visitors every year.
Standing before the temple is the Senso-ji Hozomon Gate, which is approximately eleven metres square, and was rebuilt around 1960 following a fire. The approach to this gate is ‘guarded’ by rows of traditional white paper lanterns.
The gate is dominated by a giant Red Lantern (chōchin) which hangs at the gate’s centre. It is about four meters tall, and weighs approximately seven hundred kilograms.
Also of great attraction are the many small stalls along Nakamise Shopping Street, which leads to the temple. Here one can find all manner of things to buy, from souvenirs to ice cream (choose your flavour from a display case containing plastic versions of the real thing; alongside the more traditional flavours were delights such as ‘black sesame’ and ‘rose’). We also noticed the proliferation of drink vending machines, not just here but throughout our travels. Naturally, we tentatively tried the wares on offer from these machines, and were generally pleasantly surprised.
While sightseeing, we were stopped by pairs of keen Japanese school children with professional-looking clipboards and questionnaires. After answering their probing questions, they proceeded to politely request a photo-shoot with us. It was here that we first learned the traditional pose for such images; one should raise index and middle finger, palm towards the camera (rather like Churchill’s V for victory salute; there is an example in the image above). Such posing would become a regular part of our daily routine in Japan, even adopting it when the Japanese were nowhere to be seen.
Akihabara
From Asakusa we moved to another famous district, Akihabara, nicknamed ‘Electric City’, a major shopping centre for household electronic goods, video games, anime, manga, electronics and all manner of computer-related goods. At this point, the sun was setting, creating the perfect ambience to experience the intense neon glow that is Akihabara and beyond.
Within a few hours we had seen the two contrasting sides of Tokyo that so attracts and beguiles tourists, the ancient Asakusa, and the ultra-modern Akihabara. Both had something interesting to offer, and both stood in stark contrast to our own European culture.
Our first day in Japan had been a great success, but we all needed rest following the sleepless night we had spent flying here. On school trips, hotel accommodation is almost always basic to help reduce costs, and this was no exception, as one can see by the view from my window.
Day 2
Tokyo
Ueno Park
Following the sensory overload of day one, we needed something rather more sedate, and headed for Ueno Park in the Ueno district of Taitō. First established in 1873, it is Japan’s most popular park, attracting over ten million visitors per year.
To travel there we made use of our travel passes, and used the city’s metro network. We were all impressed by the cleanliness and efficiency of the rail system. From the station we then experienced once more walking the streets of Tokyo. Road crossings are wide and orderly, but what impressed me the most was the sound of the crossing signals. Pedestrians waited patiently for the green light to cross, but when it arrived, this was accompanied, not by an insistent electronic beeping but, by a more organic sound that I can only describe as sounding like the call of some species of tropical bird. Once heard, never forgotten.
Our first port-of-call around Ueno was the Kan’ei ji Temple Konpon Chudo, originally built near the current Ueno Park Great Fountain, but was destroyed by fire during the Ueno War. Before entering the building, one should ring, by means of a hanging rope, the large gong above the door.
Leading students on a school trip, one needs an itinerary to ensure the trip is a worthwhile cultural experience. We had such a plan. However, one must also be sufficiently flexible to alter the plan should something of even greater interest arise. Such an event arose on this particular morning.
Arriving at the park we discovered that day two of a two-day Food Festival was underway. Realising the educational and cultural possibilities of this event, we scrapped the itinerary for the morning, and took the opportunity to sample (and buy) food from all over Japan.
We spent the time wandering through the many diverse stalls that had been set up. Our western palates were entertained by a variety of tastes we would not ordinarily meet. It was too good an opportunity to miss. Our students left the park laden with samples of Japanese food, which would be steadily consumed as snacks over the next few days.
By foot, we then headed for Ueno Park Zoo, Japan’s oldest zoo, opened in March, 1882. At the entrance, two unusual events occurred. Firstly, we were greeted by music very familiar to our British ears, it was the theme tune from the ‘Thomas The Tank Engine’ TV series. A fun fare close by had a Thomas-themed ride, and the music emanating from it was most incongruous. Secondly, we saw a sign with a piece of bad news. Ling Ling had died a year earlier, and for the first time in nearly forty years Ueno Zoo was without a giant panda. (Two years after our visit two new pandas arrived from China.)
Once inside, the zoo was fascinating. In addition to the usual wide range of animals, the architecture of some buildings was far beyond our expectations, for example, the gold leaf structure of the a traditional Sala (open pavilion), gifted by the Royal Thai Government to commemorate the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Japan. Many of our students were also impressed by the well-ordered, uniformed groups of Japanese children.
We stopped for refreshments at a cafe overlooking Shinobazu Pond, a large body of water adjacent to the park. It is over one million square metres in area, and the contrast between the abundant massive water lilies and the Tokyo city skyline in the background was most striking.
We saw also the wooden Five-Storied Buddhist Pagoda (Kyu-Kanei-ji), a remnant of the former Kaneiji Temple complex. The 36 meters high pagoda was first built in 1631, and then rebuilt in 1639. The upper roof is covered in copper sheets, and the rest of the roofing contain traditional Japanese ceramic tiles.
Walking further, we passed the gate (tori) leading to the Ueno Toshogu Shrine which, as a stone-built tori, is unique to this shrine. During the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, many torii gates collapsed, but this particular one, maybe due to its stone structure, stood firm.
And finally, before exiting the park, we saw Daibutsu yama (Great Buddha Hill). In 1631, the first great Buddha was created by a feudal lord Hori Naoyori, but this was destroyed by the 1647 earthquake. The face of the second Buddha fell off during that Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Finally, in 1972 the Ueno Tourist Association built the current pagoda.
Docklands
From the ancient to the modern; we travelled next to Tokyo’s Docklands Area to spend time at the Toyota Centre. This transfer involved a rail journey over the famous Rainbow Bridge (officially the ‘Tokyo Port Bridge’), which is nearly 800m in length and carries road, rail and foot traffic on two separate decks. I was fortunate enough to gain a place right at the front of the first carriage. As the train was fully automated, I was treated to a driver’s eye view of the whole journey. To gain access to the Rainbow Bridge, the train makes a rising 270 degree loop before continuing straight across northern Tokyo Bay.
So far on our trip we had experienced Japan’s past and present, but here we were treated to Japan’s future. Outside the Toyota Centre was a massive Ferris Wheel, and in the distance a tall needle-like structure (reminiscent of the Skylon, built in London for the Festival of Britain in the 1950s). Adjacent to Toyota’s Formula 1 cars were prototypes of futuristic vehicles (several designed for use by just one person). Our students were kept entertained by interactive displays, including driving ‘cars’ around the perimeter of the massive building.
Shibuya
To conclude our second day in Japan, we headed back to the city centre to visit the world famous Shibuya. To reach this destination required passing through the second busiest station in the world, Shibuya Station, catering for around one million passengers per day at rush hour. For a leader of a school trip, engagement with any form of public transport creates many forms of potential danger, but this was in a different league. In hindsight, shepherding a group of teenagers through the crowded Shibuya Station at rush hour was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my career. But there was more to come.
From the second busiest station in the world we then encountered the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. By the time we reached Shibuya Crossing it was dark, and we were able to savour this wonderful experience under the neon glare of the massive advertising hoardings that skirt this intersection of five roads.
By the crossing is the Statue of Hachikō, an Akita dog famous for his unstinting dedication to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, an agricultural scientist. Following Ueno’s death in 1925, the dog returned to Shibuya Station almost every day awaiting his master’s return. A small statue commemorates this, but is difficult to approach due to the crowds attracted by his popularity. (And we were still carrying bags full of free samples of Japanese food from the afternoon’s festival in Ueno Park.)
Towards the end of our time in Japan, we would be returning to Shibuya in daylight, but now we were ready to conclude our day with a delicious meal in a high-rise restaurant. The ground floor of the restaurant contained a display of all the meals on offer. In Europe we would read a menu, possibly with photographs, but in many Japanese restaurants it is possible to view highly detailed, full-size models of each dish before ordering. Furthermore, each floor of the restaurant we had selected specialised in a different part of the menu.
Editors’ Note: Michael Smith’s trip to Japan has only begun. Next he heads to Hiroshima, then Oita, Kyoto, and back in Tokyo before flying West. All in the next four instalments. Stay tuned.
In the past year, Michael Smith’s fiction has appeared in Fabula Argentea, Witcraft, Literally Stories, Heimat Review, The Hooghly Review, Little Old Lady Comedy and many other online literary journals. To date, he has self-published two volumes in the Gruseltal series, a historical fantasy called Dinner Time, and two collections of short stories, Fonts and Songs, all available from online bookstores.
Website: https://frucht-schleifen.weebly.com/
