Five Glorious Days in Japan Give Way to Typhoon Watch

We’re on typhoon watch now, as the seas have roughened up and we diverted our course to avoid Qingdao, China, which is pretty close to Japan and in the path of the typhoon. Don’t worry—we left Japan a little early and our ship is very fast but I guess our unbelievably smooth ride is over! Seasick pills and patches and wristbands have been helping most of us who get sea sick but sleeping for me (Dianne) is easy so far. Getting up is the hard part. Next stop will be Hong Kong. Last night was a rough one for sleep for most of us; for me it was unusual: about 2 am I (TK)woke to dripping water on my pillow. Still haven’t traced the source of that.

But the short of it is that Japan was a spectacular stop: We were welcomed into the port of Kobe, Japan, by a big brass band and “welcome “ officials who came aboard and gave speeches and dancers in Kimono who did traditional dances to traditional music played on traditional instruments (those of you who read Memoirs of a Geisha might remember the ukelele type instrument called a samusan.)

D. and I spent five full days trekking around Kobe, Kyoto and Takarazuka, the latter a mythical city of about 250000 that is trying to get itself on the tourist and corporate map. We were guests of the local govt, met by the mayor (topped the shipboard welcome in Kobe by a military band, the Kobe counselor / port leaders, and the US Embassy rep). Saw three temples, a manga museum, two art museums, and some wondrous gardens of the raked variety. From the first class treatment we’ve been getting from the Japanese, seems we’re an important collection of ragtag profs, student affairs staff, sr. passengers and students. Hey, word is out that Pres. Carter’s granddaughter is on board. I guess Amy grew up pretty fast.

One of our stops was Kyoto where we spent one day exploring on our own and one day on a tour. One place we visited, Nijo Castle (docents see picture in Asian Art book) had 33 rooms all with handpainted and gold leafed wooden door panels and intricately carved fretwork panels and painted ceiling (like some of Italy’s renaissance ceilings.) The original wooden floors still creaked and were called “nightingale” floors because they were built purposely to make bird-like noise to alert the Shoguns’ bodyguards to any intruders. The panels were mostly painted by Naonobu Kano in the 17th century. The gardens surrounding the compound were beautiful with water and well-placed boulders and handmade islands with shaped pinetrees—very aesthetic and very soothing vignettes at every turn.

For me (D), in Kyoto one of our most exciting visits was to Kiomizu Temple which means “clear water’—the temple sits high atop a hill (the winding roads leading up to it packed with stores and vendors of all kinds, selling prayer cards and fortunes and prayer beads and candy and sweets and incense and fans and pottery and about everything else you could think of). And fortuitously we arrived for the “Festival of the Dragon” an annual (and for us awesome) experience as the procession of monks clapping wooden blocks together followed “warriors” blowing conch-like horns, then four women dressed in flame-colored linen robes and masks covering their faces and then last the wonderful dragon held by perhaps a dozen men manipulating and undulating the head, body and tail, dancing up the mountainside to the temple where there was the ceremony. Later school children asked us to speak English with them (a school assignment): What is your name? What country do you come from? How do you like Japan? My name is…..(and we had to sign a sheet of paper for their teacher.)

There were few Caucasian or other tourists in Japan and so, on the trains and in the cities, we were definitely “oddities” although the Japanese were friendly and helpful and their staring was covert! Alas for my museum friends, a search of every possible store, kimono shop and market turned up no netsuke or inros except for only one store with antique ones costing thousands of dollars or a few new carved ones costing hundreds! We visited many, many shrines, temples, markets,, shopping plazas, had an incredible Japanese expensive meal—and lots of sushi and noodles. We’re a bit disappointed about missing uindao, China but looking forward to some extra time in Hong Kong.

Our classes are going well. Dianne just asked what day it is. I had no idea. That’s how we treat time. Faculty meeting coming up in 15 minutes. They have been stress filled as we jockey for position and nudging of the common curriculum. Global Studies continues for 75 minutes each day on board and challenges us all to keep the shipboard community up to date on world and country affairs. The 50 q. short answer exam angered some students and continues to be discussed. Add to that search for curricular clarity and glue at least ten activities every day, which offer everything from Pilates to Yoga to Reike to nightly films tied to our visits (coming up are Viet Cong Declassified, The Corporation and Born into Brothels) – and you see the goal is enrichment of every variety.

We just got back from a open-mike session of students telling about their travels in and reflections about Japan. There were funny stories and poignant ones and incredibly moving ones as some students told about going to Hiroshima and seeing the incredible destruction the bomb did –they said they had not studied this in their schooling and were horrified, comparing it to a visit to the Holocaust Museum in DC. And so, on to Hong Kong.

Composed by TK and DK