Obon Festival: When the Dead and the Living Celebrate
Every summer in Japan, the spirits of dead ancestors come home. In mid-August, as the sweltering humid winds blow in, Obon Festival or "The Festival of the Dead" is celebrated throughout communities in Japan to pay respects to family members who have passed away. In this three-day event, people return to their ancestral homes. The highways leading out of metropolitan cities become congested as most people who live and work in the larger metropolitan cities such as Tokyo or Os
In the Tunnels: The Last Days of Admiral Ota in the Battle of Okinawa
Rear Admiral Minoru Ota as a child no doubt had heard the story of how the Mongolian Armada tried to conquer Japan in 1274. But from the mouth of Goddess Amaterasu, the Divine Winds, the Kamikaze, destroyed the Mongol fleets under command of Kublai Kahn. Would the Goddess appear and thwart the Americans now at their shores? It was June 6, 1945, and from the commanding officers’ room, Ota headed out into the tunnels through the flickering incandescent lights. At least the ge
The British “Dog” and the Chinese “Liar”: How Name Calling Started a War
In January 1834, while Chief George of the Makah tribe took possession of the Japanese castaway Otokichi and his ship the Hojunmaru on the shores of Cape Flattery, Chief Superintendent Napier of the British tribe was dreaming of a bigger catch. William Napier declared, “the empire of China is my own.” He envisioned a “blockading squadron on the coast of the Celestine Empire,” and how “easily a gun brig would raise a revolution and cause them to open their ports to the trading
Orozco and the Man of Fire
“Art is Knowledge at the service of emotion.” – Jose Clemente Orozco Long before discovering the story of Otokichi in Japan, I was in Mexico where I encountered the muralist Jose Clemente Orozco whose story is more cerebral than that of the world-traveled Otokichi. Although my Spanish language skills have diminished over time since my study in Guadalajara, Orozco’s work has not faded from memory. At the end of Plaza de Tapatía, pass the shops and restaurants that line the ped
How a "Barbarian" Missionary Met "Heathen" Japanese Castaways
In August 1825, Cyrus Shepard had a dream. In it, he was on a ship sailing towards the African coast, the hot wind blowing his hair back. He was wearing his neatly tailored double-breasted frock coat, the latest from France, for the occasion. From the bow of the ship, he spotted the “distant and neglected” continent in front of him and thought of all its possibilities and his “heart leaped within for joy.” The vision of the ship and the ocean faded and he was now amidst chi
Late Edo-Period Ships: When Innovation Was Forbidden
When we think of Japan now, we think of it as the land of the latest technology, cutting-edge design and innovation, but when Japan restricted its borders (opened only to the Dutch and Chinese) during the Edo Period (1603-1868) and to limit the movement of its people to foreign countries, the Shogun thought of ways to “de-innovate” the ships and to make them less sea worthy, particularly in open waters. In fact, since the 18th century, Japan enforced laws to specify the desig
The Arrival of Mrs. King, One of the First American Woman to Land in Japan
In the photo that reportedly shows Amelia Earhart squatting by the docks with her back towards the camera supposedly “in custody,” it’s hard to believe that such a rare sight as a white woman in an isolated island of Japan did not garner more attention from the people. Where are the crowds of people gathering around her trying to get a glimpse of her? Or the police trying to beat back the curious onlookers? One hundred years earlier, if Amelia Earhart had indeed arrived on th
Looking For Uchiko
The obstacle is the path. -Zen Proverb Here there are no scenic photo opportunities of ancient castles or crumbling Shinto shrines. No magnificent selfies of sunsets nor cascading waterfalls in the background. No sign of any bustling Japanese pubs to quench my thirst. Here, there's darkness and an empty road that winds up a hill. On either side are white cedar trees that stand so close together that foliage stretch up to the top of the mountain to weave a continuous carpet of
She Says Dance, He Says Fish (Part 3 of 3)
When Monica and Keitaro started going out, they did all the obligatory things couples do in Tokyo: shopping trips to Shibuya, long strolls on the boardwalk at Odaiba, swan boat rides at Ueno Park. But Monica realized there were places that Keitaro avoided altogether: nightclubs and discos. Monica soon discovered why. “He couldn’t dance,” said Monica. “In Peru, we learn how to dance even before we learn to walk. That was the first time that I realized the he was different fro
He Says Fish, She Says Dance (Part 2 of 3)
After deciding to go against the wishes of her father, Monica flew to Japan. In the cabin, she had all the time to think whether her decision was the right one—not that it mattered anyway as the plane, almost twenty hours later, landed in Tokyo in the middle of winter. “Oh my God, my first impression was how cold it was,” remembered Monica when she first took her first steps in the city. “That winter was the first time I ever saw snow. I was wearing five or six layers of clot
