Views of Japan [Archives:2001/01/Reportage]

Since 1976, Japan has been one of the major donor countries to extend financial and technical aid to the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, (PDRY) and the present unified Yemen. Such donations include financial support of vital projects in the health, education, food, etc. spheres, as well as debt relief. 
The significant help of the government of Japan to Yemen has been accompanied by extensive efforts to enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries through exchanging official visits, as well as joint work in a number of cooperation programs.
As enhanced relations and ties among countries require more openness to and understanding of one another’s culture, the government of Japan created an invitation program which includes youth invitation program through which young people from Mideast countries are invited to Japan not only to learn more about the Japanese politics, economy, culture and society, but to feel and to exchange opinions with Japanese youths. I was lucky to be chosen this year from Yemen to tour Japan, a country that I have never expected to be able to see.
Away from the Japanese sophisticated technology known worldwide, I was astounded to see how cultural Japan was. More surprising was the good number of cultural aspects similar to ours, Yemenis. For example, I had to take off my shoes when I entered the Japanese house of the generous Tsuji family which hosted us for two days in Kyoto and I sat on the ground to have lunch and dinner.
Out of the many colorful cultural pictures of Japan, the following selected images, though a few, are enough to open a window on the richness of the Japanese culture
Architecture
The Japanese architecture has been greatly influenced by the Chinese style. However, many differences are to be noticed. Modernization has also changed a lot of the traditional aspects in the Japanese life. For example, until 1912 most Japanese families would sit on the ground. Chairs and tables appeared after this time.
The Japanese architecture has also been influenced by the climate. Summers in most of Japan are long, hot, and humid, a fact that is reflected in the way homes are built. the traditional houses are a bit raised so that the air can move around and beneath them.
The interior of Japanese houses in the past was virtually open, without even screens to partition off individual spaces. Gradually, as more thought was given to particular areas and their functions, such as eating, sleeping, or dressing, self-standing screens came into use. paper-covered sliding doors, which are still seen, came afterward. Such doors can be easily removed to open up the entire space.
From an aesthetic standpoint, the traditional house is designed for people who are seated, not standing. Doors, windows, and alcoves are placed so that both artwork in the house and the garden outside can be viewed appropriately from a sitting position.
Despite the changes that modernization has brought to the style of houses, the traditional Japanese style has not vanished. Even in the westernized houses, it is still usual to find a room whose floor is covered over with a Japanese mat, and it is still the custom of people to take off their shoes before entering the house.
Kinkakuji Temple (The Golden Pavilion), Kyoto
Kyoto, the old capital city of Japan, is very cultural. It is featured by many ancient temples. It is perhaps invidious to single out any particular ones among them, but there are some which have achieved, for various reasons, particular fame. Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion, is chief among them.
The Gold-plated temple is situated in the northwest of the city. Interestingly, three different architectural styles were combined together to produce this tourist-attraction piece of art. The first floor is constructed in a palatial style; the second is a samurai house, like a temple hall and the third is austere, bare ‘Zen Temple’ with a statues of the Buddha of the Pure Land. Only the second and the third floors are covered with gold-leaf. The roof, upon which the Chinese phoenix settles, is thatched with shingles.
Recently, the coating of Japanese lacquer was found a little decayed and a new coating, as well as gilding with gold-leaf, much thicker than the original ones, was given to the building and was completed in 1987.
The Golden Pavilion, inscribed as World Cultural Heritage in 1994, sits on the edge of a lake dotted with islets and surrounded by woodland.
Religion
Many Japanese are Buddhists. It was in 538 or 552 that when Buddhism was brought to Japan via Korea. In 741 provincial temples began to be constructed. However, today there is a verity of other religions which have the freedom to be practiced.
As far as Islam is concerned, there is no satisfactory information about the exact number of Muslims and the date of the emergence of Islam in Japan. However, available information say the first Japanese Muslim converted into Islam in 1890 on the hands of a British Muslim in Istanbul.
It is a fact that Japan is a hard land for Islamic penetration through conventional process of preaching. Apart from the deep-rooted local Shinto religion, there are strong imported religions such as Buddhism and Christianity, and also some new local religions. Added to them are imitation of western material civilization, atheism, non-religionism, or even anti-religionism- all of which make it difficult for the penetration of Islam.
Among the host of religions available in Japan, it is very interesting to feel how much religious tolerance is here. “We have parties and festivals together with the Buddhists and Christians. We even call for Muslim prayers at their presence, said Fadhlullah A. Nakamichi, Acting Chairman and Director of Publication of Islamic Center .
The Islamic Center was established in Tokyo in 1975 by the efforts of Muslim students who came to study in Japan. It introduces Islam, translates Islamic books from Arabic into Japanese, etc. More than 40 books have been translated into Japanese. These are distributed free of charge to those interested in Islam. Dr. Fadhlullah said that these books were much more demanded by Japanese living abroad.
The first book to be translated was ‘The Principles of Islam’ by Abu Al-Alaa Al-Mawdudi. Presently, the center is translating ‘Riadh Al-Salehin’ one of the major and most trusted Islamic references. Its translator, Ashraf Yasui, a Japanese Muslim has translated many Islamic books into Japanese and has set Arabic language courses for Japanese.
According to Dr. Fadhlullah, 3-10 Japanese become Muslims every month.
The Way of Tea (Chado)
The tea ceremony is the ritualized preparation and serving of powdered green tea in the presence of guests. It is a discipline nurtured and refined by the Japanese since the fifteen century.
When tea was first brought to Japan it was used as medicine. Then it came to be drunk for the enjoyment of its flavor.
Tea houses are built in a special way. Doors are a bit low so that everyone bows when entering as a sign of equality of people. Each room is very simply designed. No decoration is there. In one corner of each room there is a scroll and a flower in a vase. Although any tea school is surrounded by a well-attended garden no flowers are grown there. The reason is not to distract the visitor’s attention from the single charming flower placed in each room.
Owing to the lack of decoration, participants become more aware of details and are awakened to the simple beauty around them and to themselves. The low entrance is designed to remaind them that all are equal.
The guests, before entering the tea house, pass along a garden path and which is usually made wet as a means to express heartful welcoming. They pass along a garden path and rinse their hands and wash out their mouths at a low stone water-basin, thereby symbolically purifying themselves of the “dust” of the everyday world outside the tearoom. The room is always bare, maybe to help keep it clean and tidy.
Religions mainly the Shinto, seem to have greatly influenced the Way of Tea philosophy, specially in the way nature is treated. The emphasis on purity and cleanliness also probably derives from a religious belief that true and natural beauty is not revealed if covered with impurity.
The underlying philosophy of the Way of Tea is a rich and unique synthesis of Oriental cultural and religious traditions. Its four principles are summarized as Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility. Constantly practicing these principles is believed to increase one’s spiritual awareness and help one find inner peace.
Today, chado continues to be a vital part of Japanese society and culture. Its presence can be discerned in the Japanese language, contemporary architecture, and the continuing traditions of the fine and applied arts, as well as much of the etiquette that surrounds social interaction. Many tea masters believe that the Way of Tea can be a foundation of the way of life; that the peacefulness of a bowl of tea can be shared with anyone, and through this sharing all people can one day live in a world of peace.
Flowers in the Japanese’ life
A single flower artistically planted in a paintless vase in a room at a tea school was enough to divert my attention from the tea master who was teaching how to make the Japanese tea. I did not know that arranging flowers in art by itself here in Japan.
The Japanese art of flower arrangement is called ikebana in the Japanese language, but the materials of ikebana can include freshly cut branches, vines, leaves, grasses, berries, fruit, seeds, as well as wilted and dried plants.
As one of the traditional arts of Japan ikebana has developed a symbolic language, as well as decorative concepts, and the use of natural, ephemeral flowers and branches makes the dimension of time an integral part of the creation. The relationship between the materials; the style of the arrangement; the size, shape, texture, volume and color of the container; and the place and occasion for its display are vitally important factors.
The diversity of Japan’s natural landscape and ancient, agricultural way of life set the scene for the development of ikebana. A decisive influence was the introduction of Buddhism from China in the 6th century, and with it, the custom of floral offerings to the Buddha and the souls of the dead. Since then it has gone through different stages of development until the modern time where westernized methods began to be used.
In the beginning of the 20th century up to the 1970s, ikebana was developed into an art that encouraged free, creative expression. Whereas in all traditional styles, the materials were gathered to emerge from the container as a single point, now various kinds of supports to arrange cut plants over an extended surface in wide, shallow containers are used.
A number of techniques are used to preserve the freshness of plants. These include crushing, boiling or burning the base of the stems, and the application of various chemicals.
Okunoshima Poison Gas Museum
Upto the World War II, none could trace this tiny but important island on any map. This island was a secret base for producing poison gas. Only a few people worked in this island. These were very carefully chosen. None of the staff knew what was his workmate’s job.
This poison gas facilities, belonging to the Second Tokyo Military Arsenal, was established on Okunoshima in 1929. It was then destroyed in 1945 at the end of the War by the US forces.
Before 1984 it was a little known fact that Japan itself used poison gases. The fact that chemical weapons had been used in warfare was kept secret and the Japanese people, having not concerned themselves with the former Japanese army and Navy, have scarcely realized the truth.
In 1984, it was first reported that Japan had carried out chemical warfare. Since then, the structure of the Japanese chemical armaments industry has come to light through the research of the history of Narashino Military Academy. Great amounts were produced on this Island.
Today, Okunoshima Island has been developed as a National Vacation Village and has become a public health resort. There are very few reminders of the past except a gun platform, electricity generating station and a poison gas storehouse.
The museum was built with the cooperation and understanding of groups representing the affected people and related towns and cities and Hiroshima Prefecture. It represents a sign of Japan’s commitment to peace and rejection of all signs of wars.
Hisham al-Qubati

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