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Published: February 20th 2015
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For Penny it was "The Blue Door". For myself, Richard Flanagan's 2014 Man Booker prize winning masterpiece "The Long Road to the Deep North". It would be easy to join the long queue ready to condemn Japan after reading either of those 2 books. While both are beacons of reference, they were equally counterproductive as a prequel to visiting Japan with the mind open.
The atrocities committed during WWII have been extensively documented. I recall quotes from eloquent returned POWs who could "NEVER forgive the Japanese". You can hardly blame them.
So how do you equate the Japan of that period with that of today? In a few short generations contemporary Japan is now the absolute antithesis of those anecdotes. After 3 brief weeks I hardly qualify as all things erudite on this nation but if one city purveys that Japanese paradox at just the right angle it's Kyoto. A kind of Japan for Dummies.
It's a city where the populace appears to have discipline sewn into its DNA. NOBODY will take a step off the sidewalk until the pedestrian light has turned green. Public garbage bins don't exist but somehow neither does a drop of actual garbage.
Don't put your bag on the floor. Don't walk on an escalator. No personal contact no matter how minimal. Wet umbrellas placed inside readily available plastic bags lest they leak on a floor. Queuing mandatory for everything. A public transport system whose punctuality would make Switzerland blush. I suppose it's a throwback to what the Emperor bequeaths is where the populace unquestioningly toes the line.
Now couple this ethos with the people's demeanour which is a new dimension on polite, respectful and kind. It's a challenge to imagine how the Japanese could ever have contemplated raising a finger in violence, as if they have a catch and release program for bugs.
Kyoto is THE city for your portal into that ancient history and perhaps to glean an inkling of understanding this loyalty to "The Boss".
Modern Kyoto still encompasses all things Japanese urban jungle; read: nothing much to look at. But, step out to the fringes and here is your crash course in the Japan that was. And with smart looks to match.
The whole area is lathered with UNESCO World Heritage sights. More temples and shrines than you could poke a samurai sword at. They
are also crammed with local tourists looking to keep the cultural flames burning. The flag-following masses, however, tend to flock mostly to the brochure darlings. For a touch of spiritual silence, sneak out through a few meticulous gardens and you will invariably stumble onto an atmospheric sub-temple. Such sanctuaries have a gift for making you feel like the only tourist in town. They are shrines that took me back to the heady days of 70s TV and I fully expected Shintaro or Tombei the Mist to leap down from the ceiling.
Whilst I'm on a 70s TV tangent, we all remember The Phantom Agents, right? "You shouldn't have shot him. Our guns are last resorts". (With that attitude they'd never get a start in the Victorian Police Force). They used to race around Tokyo in Toyota Crowns in the fight against evil. Well it turns out the Toyota Crown is still the vehicle of choice for Japanese taxi drivers, especially here in Kyoto. The best news is they remain in mint condition despite the age and number of kilometres they must have racked up. In fact the Japanese taxi is one of the world's few, along with London and
Iran from my experiences, where you can feel confident of not being taken for a ride, pardon the pun. And they are so sparkling clean you feel almost guilty putting your bum on the seat.
Now I think about it, the Japanese taxi, especially in Kyoto, is like a metaphor for Japan's baseline values. Spotless, above reproach, uniformed white gloved efficiency. A near perfect society. If only I wasn't hounded by those WWII anecdotes.
The counterbalance may well be tomorrow when we spend our last couple of days in Hiroshima. How was that town for a one stop bloodbath solution. And we the Allies sugarcoat that little historical glitch by claiming the good guy status.
Sayonara
More images at:
www.colvinyeates.zenfolio.com
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colvinyeates
penny and gary
Nice work
Love the photos