Last few days in Japan....

Wednesday, September 24th

As we traveled throughout Australia we met many people who had traveled in Japan. One couple suggested that we purchase Japan Rail Passes that would allow us unlimited rail travel within the country. These passes had to be purchases prior to entering Japan, so in Sydney we went to an Asian travel centre and bought one week passes. We decided to only get a pass for the second week because they are really expensive and we were on the subway line while staying in Tokyo. We took a Hikari (bullet) train to Kyoto where we had arranged four nights accommodations, using it as a base to do day trips with the rail pass. It was our intention to spend two days in Kyoto, a day in Osaka, and another in Nara before heading to Hiroshima.
Our accommodation was in a Japanese guest house, Japan’s version of a hostel. We had a traditional Japanese room for the four of us; there were four rolled up futons on a tatami floor, a small TV, a beanbag chair and a table. We did not have our own toilet or shower but the YAHATA house was very clean, had internet connection, a small common room, a small kitchen, a traditional Japanese shower and soaking tub, and most importantly very helpful and kind staff and owners.

In our last post, Elaine eloquently told you about our new friend Agnes. The day after meeting Agnes we took a one day excursion to Nara. It was a short ride from Kyoto (45 min) and we were rushed to be on time for our prearranged English guide.

Just a side note.....most people know that our family is always trying to maximize our time whether it be finding the most efficient route from point A to B, splitting up to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously, or taking advantage of an opportunity for an additional 10 minutes sleep in the morning. Certainly the later has been apparent in Japan! Hence, this continues to be a Ying/Yang type of thing.....stressed to get to things on time while exhilarated that we made it and still got that extra 10 minutes sleep. It seems to work for us but I wouldn’t suggest everyone follow the same path.

Anyways, Nara was a very beautiful and quiet city in Japan. Our guide, Mio, was a young woman who is going to university in Nara to be a high school English teacher. We had a very pleasant day in Nara with Mio as it was unrushed, tranquil and afforded us an opportunity to relax. In Nara, deer are sacred animals and also a bit of a tourist attraction. I’m sure Mio thought Sammy was crazy for her fascination with the deer and the number of pictures she took. On our walk through the old town we probably saw a hundred deer . I bought some food for Sam and Jeff to feed the deer and quickly found out that they get quite aggressive. Jeff, Sam and especially Elaine found it hilarious that I was being mauled and bitten in the backside. In fact, Elaine wanted to go back at the end of the day and have me recreate the attack so we could video tape it and put it on the blog. Sorry folks.....I’m just not that dedicated to keeping you up to date on everything we do! We went to a noodle shop for lunch with Mio and it was very good, however, I did have some issues with bodily functions that the family thought was funnier than the deer story but I’ll save that for a dinner party. If you ever go to Japan you should spend some time in Nara .

Thursday September 25th

Elaine and Sammy had been chomping at the bit for this day to arrive. We planned to go to a monthly market at a Kyoto temple. Elaine had read that this would be a great spot to purchase Kimonos so she and Sam were pumped to go shopping. Jeff on the other hand wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about it as Elaine and Sam. After all, what was in it for him? Certainly the thought of going to another temple and shopping for clothes should be enough to make any 11 year old boy run for the hills. After a long walk to the train station followed by a 15 minute walk to the find the market we arrived. The market was very big and the first booth had tons of Kimonos. I decided to leave the girls and take Jeff with me to continue to explore the market before we both lost our minds. There were a lot of Japanese food booths and this made Jeff a little happier. There were many antique stalls, clothing, food, plants, and carnival games.

Samantha and Elaine were shown how to dress Samantha in a Kimono by a gentleman who became much friendlier when he realized we were not Americans but Canadians. Elaine and I felt that as soon as he realized we were not Americans that his entire demeanour changed towards us. He helped dress Samantha like a model in a fashion show, calling out for string, undergarments, and the proper colour belt while he fit her. The man was just a shopper in the market. An older couple owned the stall and seemed to take pride in the way the English speaking gentleman was dressing Sam. They were so nice to Samantha that I didn’t even negotiate with them on the price, which is not like me in any of the markets we have been to in our travels. The elderly Japanese couple gave Sam two gifts after we paid which was a very nice gesture.

Jeff and I made a few purchases ourselves. We bought some nice mementos of Japan but don’t want to mention what they were as someone reading this may get one for a present! Needless to say, we really liked what we bought and couldn’t stop talking about different negotiating tactics. We employed the LMBIRMD strategy today (LMBIRMD =”Last minute before imminent rain- multiple discount”). Jeff has also taken an interest in collecting old coins on our trip. He bought a 1964 Tokyo Olympic Medallion and a US Liberty dollar which I thought were good purchases, unlike the PSP video that only works on Japan video games.

We ate some street meat, a couple of overpriced crepes, a few unknown cooked vegetables and headed back to the train station. Once again we were running tight for time as we had two bullet trains to catch to Hiroshima at 2:00pm. We let the girls stay at the main Train station while Jeff and I ran through the streets in Kyoto to go pick up our bags at YAHATA house and meet Sam and Elaine back at the train station. We were soaked with sweat and our legs and feet were really sore by the time we made it back.....but like always we made it on time...while maximizing our time at the market.

We took two bullet trains to Hiroshima each about an hour long. I had a large beer out of a vending machine, they’re everywhere in Japan, for about $2.

We took a TRAM/Streetcar from the Hiroshima train station to the stop nearest our accommodation. We had to walk down residential streets with our laptop open with the map that had been emailed to us earlier in the week. We stayed at the World Friendship Centre where we slept on traditional tatami mats and futons again. We had two rooms divided by a paper door, a shared bathroom, internet, a library with hundreds of books about peace and war. Our hosts had graciously arranged for our family to meet a living survivor of Hiroshima and a English guide for the Peace Park the next morning. I had mentioned that this might be a possibility to everyone but I wasn’t counting on it as I had not heard back after my initial request. Needless to say, we were all very excited about the next morning. As soon as we were settled in, we went out to a noodle shop for dinner. We had Ramen noodles and cold beers while watching the Hiroshima Carp play the Tokyo Giants in baseball. Jeff didn’t think the quality of play was as good as the MLB but the fans intensity rivalled any Toronto sports team we have ever watched. After dinned I wanted to walk to the Peace Park to get our bearing s for the next morning and thought it might be illuminated at night. It turned out to be a beautiful evening and we had an opportunity to get ourselves acquainted with several monuments in the Park like the eternal flame, the A-Dome, the children’s monument, the rivers, and the museum where we would be meeting our survivor for our talk the next morning.

When we arrived back to our room, Elaine began her blog entry while I read the kids the true life story “Sadako and A thousand Cranes.” Sadako is a well known figure and throughout the world. The book is based on a true story about a girl named "Sadako Sasaki". Ten years after the bombing of Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki died of leukemia at the age of twelve. The story of Sadako who continued to fold paper cranes throughout her illness in hopes of recovering from the disease touched the hearts of many people. We were all in tears by the end of the story after realizing we had been standing right beside the monument in the story. Although our intention was to get to bed early, everyone found books in the library to read about Hiroshima and the war. I found a book that provided more details about Sadako and her family. I ended up staying up until about 2am reading and booking a hotel in Beijing.

Friday, September-26-08

We started our day with a great breakfast, fruit, granola, yogurt, toast, juice and coffee. Then we ran to make our 9:30am seminar. This seminar was the most moving seminar I have ever attended. Mr. Keijiro Matsuchima was a boy of 12 sitting in a classroom about 2 miles from where the bomb landed in August of 1945. You can imagine how moving Mr. Matsuchima’s recount of his experience at that time was for all of us. What I found interesting was that only in recent years have survivors, or Hibakushas as Japanese people call them, begun talking about their experiences. After the war there was great prejudice against the survivors. They were often considered “dirty” as people were unsure if they were contagious or would bring bad luck. Many kept their experience a secret in fear that their children would be unable to marry or find jobs. However, now many survivors, who are aging and realize their stories may be lost, speak openly and often with a deep conviction that they must tell their stories and educate people in order to prevent a horrifying event like this from occurring again. And most humbling and moving was the great humility and sorrow with which Mr. Matsuchima apologized for their country’s attack on Pearl Harbour. Surprisingly, he communicated no resentment at all towards the United States for having dropped the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He felt as though Japan provoked this occurrence by it,s armies stubbornness to continue a losing war at that time. Mr. Matschima’s final words were, “Now we must stand together and say Never Again!” After the dozen people in attendance for this private seminar left, Elaine, Sam, Jeff and I stayed to thank Mr. Matsuchima for his time. I learned that Mr. Matsuchima had intended to be an Engineer while enrolled at the technical college days before the bomb dropped. After inconceivable hardship for him and his family, he decided to change his career aspirations. He became a school teacher and retired a principal. Mr. Matschima very seldom ever spoke to his students about being a Hibakusha (survivor). There is so much more to share but I will save it for another time.

After our “survivor talk” we wandered around the museum basement. We viewed the artwork of survivors and their accompanying stories. Each picture stated the age of the survivor at the time of the bombing, their date of death, and the proximity they were to the hypocentre. We arranged for an English speaking guide to show us the Peace Park. Jeff and Samantha asked many interesting questions they had about the war.

After our guided tour we quickly went through the Museum. Samantha and Jeff were really moved when they saw some of the cranes that Sadako had folded throughout her illness. Elaine and I both felt ashamed that we could not spend longer here as it was so important. It was a solemn day for us and we would suggest that everyone try and visit someday......as Mr. Matschima said, “Never Again!”