June 08, 2018
Japan Journey
During myboyhood years in Jakarta, where my father was posted as Pakistan’s military attaché to Indonesia, I often heard anecdotes of Japan’s invasion and occupation of the island of Java – then held by the Netherlands – in the immediate aftermath of the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.
It piqued my interest to see for myself a country that had such an impact on Southeast Asia and the world. The dream was finally realized when I undertook a two-week journey to Japan with my wife to ascertain what the once-secluded island nation was about.
Japan is distinct and unique. It is at once rooted in Eastern values while, at the same time, technologically skilled to outclass the West despite the language problem with English. What immediately strikes the first-time traveler is the politeness, precision, punctuality, formality, conformity, self-discipline and responsible work ethic, which is pervasive in Japanese culture. There is courtesy with no transactional expectation of tipping.
Whereas America is about bigness, Japan is about smallness.
Hiroshima leaves a profound impact. Our cerebral guide, Takako, told us of her family being survivors of the August 6, 1945, atomic blast there, which, in totality, led to over 300,000 casualties. Her mother-in-law, now 91, said: “If anyone had seen scenes of Hiroshima then, no leader would ever start a war.” Takako recounted that Obama was the only American president to come to Hiroshima and “to share our humanity.”
Hiroshima – headquarters of Mazda car manufacturing – is a testament to Japanese spirit of resilience and striving for greater Japan.
Japanese avoid WWII talk. There is also denial as to Japan’s role in mass murder and rape of citizens of Nanking, China, starting in December 1937, when up to 300,000 people were killed by Japanese forces over the course of six weeks.
In old Japan, samurai warriors were at the top of its caste system, with the merchant class its lowest rung. Yukari, our Osaka guide, recounted the samurai concept of Bushido with its virtues of loyalty and honor.
At Kanazawa, our guide, Izumi, brought us to its old intact samurai quarter, as well as to the 400-year-old Kenrok-en, one of Japan’s best gardens.
At Kyoto, the well-preserved unscathed old capital of Japan, we attended an intricate formal tea ceremony conducted by a geisha, one of the last vestiges of traditional Japan.
Japan is a confluence of Shintoism and Buddhism, and the influence of Gandhara heritage, which once flourished in northern Pakistan 2,000 years ago, has left its imprint on Japan.
Japan marks a dual lesson for both Pakistan and America. Pakistan has in no way endured what Japan has endured, in terms of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yet there is an odor of defeatism and resigned despondency, which goes to show that some of the greatest battles are lost and won in the mind. War-time Japan also holds a lesson for Trumpian America in what could be the eventual outcome if white tribalism and xenophobia are allowed to run amok for political gain. Hate cannot be dissociated from its larger socio-political environment.
While American global influence dwindles, Japan’s passport today is the strongest.
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