Please check out the video slideshow of this trip to Japan (watch in full screen)

Also my Flickr Album of Japan 

Safely Home

HOME SAFELY

There is so much more to see of Japan. I feel like we only scratched the surface of a country full of history, spiritual depth, kindness, politeness, efficiency, and loyalty. The country is made up of islands, and is primarily mountains surrounded by water. This is a country built in nature and which survives precariously at the mercy of nature. Tokyo has the largest population in the world yet it seems to run ultra efficiently, is sparklingly clean, and blends the old and the new seamlessly. I remember excitedly seeing my first temple from the train window on the way into Tokyo before later noting that temples and shrines were dotted throughout the cities offering refuge from the crowds and a steady reminder that in the eye of the storm there is indeed stillness.

The trains and buses run on time, to the minute. People wait in line, allow folks to exit first and then squeeze into the carriages. Crowds stream along the platforms and through the labyrinthine underground corridors toward their destinations. There is a flow, which at first seems chaotic but with further observation is seen to make perfect sense. It is said that during rush hours people are most cognizant of not losing a shoe because they are not likely to see it again, lost forever in the crowd.

In a country of constant regularity, we were fortunate to be surprised several times by delightful, spontaneous events that captured our imaginations. These included an annual Shaolin festival that that appeared at the door of our hotel, a remarkably diverse religious procession at the Sensoji Temple, a public Noh performance in Miyajima, a wedding procession at the Meiji Temple, and a Cosplay convention near the Tokyo Dome. Each provided wonderful photo opportunities.

We experienced the smooth ride of the bullet trains gliding in luxury through time at 185 mph. It is always of an existential nature for me to reflect on the passing of time while moving through space without any personal effort.

Although we never got to see Mount Fuji, it was not for lack of effort. I believe that it is there somewhere and often had a sense of the space that it filled in the constantly misty landscape that shrouded it from our view. It continues to exist in my mind’s eye and I will continue to romanticize its beauty and presence as a symbol of the most elusive of those things that I search for.

Kyoto really does offer the essence of a city grown up around its spiritual and historical roots. Sometimes the modernity seems superfluous surrounding the shrines, castles, historical districts, and temples of this ancient capital.

We felt like royalty staying at the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone. Hakone is a small town in the foothills of the mountains and usually a prime spot for viewing Mount Fuji. The Hakone Outdoor Museum contains an extraordinary collection of sculptures by the world's most famous artists. It is the best and most diverse sculpture garden that I have ever seen. The exhibits took on a particularly eerie personality in the thick mists and rain.

It felt perfect to stay in a temple in Koyasan, a town set in the mountains and built around the temples of Shingon Buddhism.

Hiroshima is a city grown up out of nothing, out of devastation and hope, out of resilience, and remains as a living museum to the tragedy of war.

Kanazawa left us with some of the warmest feelings of connection with a place. Perhaps by that point we were familiar enough with where we were; or maybe it was the ease of transport or the kindness of the people, or the slower pace of a smaller city. It seemed like a very livable haven, everything accessible. It offered a variety of the elements of history not seen elsewhere, including elements of the lives of samurai, geisha, (ninja), merchant class, and royalty.

We return from Japan in awe of a country that runs on kindness and politeness. It is a place where we always felt completely safe. People were eager to help but never imposing. Native Japanese people almost never asked us details about ourselves. We never felt judged or out of place. We returned home wondering how we can incorporate some of these delights into our own lives: the traditions of openness, giving, providing for others, and helping to make other people’s lives more elegant.

Thank you for joining us on this trip. Arigato.