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An Island of Aesthetics

By Ahmed Lotfy

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Japan is an island where beauty and harmony intermingle with innovation and sophistication

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top Tokyo’s iconic Hakone mount, a surprising gust of chill wind mingles with the warm, sulfuric smoke of hot springs to brush the spread of green canvas with a blurry layer of wonder, harmony and tranquillity.

Being on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ hasn’t been always bad for Japan. And as much alarm and panic, volcanoes brought into the island, they also graced it with plenty of natural wonders.

Hakone is part of Japan’s biggest, most sanctified Fuji Mount range. From the pinnacle of Hakone, a visible glimpse of Tokyo reveals how splendid nature and sophisticated lifestyle make up this bustling city.

In Tokyo, extremes always meet. Culture-bound, nature-savvy Japanese of all ages zealously consume next generation videogames and technology; visit maid cafés for intimate chatter; and mass at Buddhist temples before finally indulging in the pleasure intersection of Roppongi – Tokyo’s nightlife spot.

Katas: A way of life

The Japanese are known for their Katas, a practice they have followed for centuries. Kata literally means ‘form’ and JUNE 10

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refers to a set of procedures that assists in completing a task.

The earliest, most pervasive Japanese Katas depicted wet-rice farming, court etiquette and kanji writings (Chinese characters used in Japanese scripts), the tea ceremony (an indigenous aristocratic reception ceremony), arts and crafts, the way of the Samurai and a strict day-today etiquette.

Katas have existed for several centuries and the Japanese continue to use it in several practices even today, like the tea ceremony, flower arranging, kendo, judo and sumo. Even an imported sport like baseball was kata-ized in Japan. There is a Japanese way to arrange furniture and office desks, learning how to drive, treat guests, buy and present gifts...

Though Katas have been a guiding tool and an accessory for discipline, they have over-standardised life to a degree that has left Japanese people totally dependent on them. A regular Japanese chuck doesn’t take risks; is always unprepared for the unplanned; and does things only if they know how to.

Tokyo calling!

Throughout Tokyo, buildings have a standard colour code, mostly grey scale and hues of red, though no government regulation stipulates it. Everything is orderly.

Pedestrians walk hundreds of metres to get to a zebra crossing on main roads.

And crowds line up awaiting a brief green light even after midnight when the streets are traffic-free.

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One can enjoy a pleasant river cruise and treat themselves to a delicious Tempora meal in the electric Tokyo Bay area – right before taking a gentle rain shower at Chuzenji Lake. There is no dearth of water in Tokyo, and the same applies for fauna and flora in the region. There are umpteen green forests and mountains lavish with spans of trees arranged in multiple heights. And if so much beauty becomes too overwhelming, a little peace and relaxation can be found at Buddhist temples and imperial shrines.

Honour of Meiji

In the Shinto belief, embraced by about

120 Japanese nationals, it is common to enshrine the spirits of Japanese personalities who had a notable impact in their lives.

The Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) was dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken.

Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan. He was born in 1852 and ascended to the throne in 1868 at the peak of the Meiji Restoration when the power was switched from feudal government to the emperor.

It is during the Meiji Period that Japan modernised and westernised herself to join the world’s major powers.

Qatar Airways touches down in Tokyo Qatar Airways fulfilled its long-standing ambitions to fly to Japan’s capital city when flight QR802 touched down at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.

The addition of Tokyo, following the 13 hour journey from Doha, marks the airline’s 89th international destination and second in Japan with the carrier already serving Osaka.

Tokyo also becomes the airline’s fourth new route launched so far during 2010 in a year of continued, aggressive expansion.

Over the past two months, Qatar Airways has begun services to Bengaluru (Bangalore), Copenhagen and Ankara,

with flights set to start to Barcelona and the South American cities of Sao Paulo in Brazil and the Argentine capital Buenos Aires during June.

The launch of Tokyo flights was set ahead of Japan’s Golden Week holiday season, to see Qatar Airways becoming the only carrier from the Gulf operating daily flights to the Japanese capital, providing convenient connections for passengers travelling on the airline’s global network via its Doha hub.

The new flights strengthen the relationship between Qatar and Japan, with both countries having close bilateral ties and enjoying growing trade.

GLOBE TROT Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912 and the Shrine was completed in 1920, and rebuilt after being destroyed in World War II.

Emperor’s haven

In a country of harmony and tranquillity, the Kokyo (Emperor’s residence) can almost be mistaken for nature’s heaven.

The Kokyo is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in Tokyo downtown.

Around the Imperial Palace, one can view the Nijubashi – two bridges demarking the entrance to the inner palace grounds. The stone bridge in front is called Meganebashi (Eyeglass Bridge) for its looks.

In 1868, the Shogunate military dictatorship regime was overthrown in Japan, and the capital and Imperial Residence moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.

In 1888, construction of a new Imperial Palace was completed, which was destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt in the same fashion.

Japan’s incumbent Emperor Akihito is 76 years old.

Virtual town

In Akihabara, Tokyo’s tech town, crowded streets buzz with innovative technology one has never heard about – machines that count walking steps, record audio readings and plan monthly programmes based on body mass and age. Others count calories in meals and pinpoint beef in mixed meat...

A jungle of electronics shops of various sizes offer everything from latest computers, cameras, televisions, mobile phones and home appliances to secondhand goods and electronic junk.

Wandering around, videogame showrooms, play-shops, hostess clubs and Manga bookstores can leave one in awe.

Akihabara has constantly transformed itself over the decades and change continues there. A recent development made it the centre of Japanese animation culture, following a foray of stores that offer video games, Manga and animationrelated goods in the district.

Various animation-related establishments also appear in Akihabara, such as cosplay (costume play) cafes, where waitresses dress up like animal characters, and Manga kissaten (comics cafes), where customers read comics, watch DVDs and surf the internet.

Asakusa

Asakusa is the centre of Tokyo’s Shitamachi, ‘low city’, one of Tokyo’s few districts, which have preserved a certain atmosphere of the old Tokyo.

Large parts of Asakusa were destroyed in the air raids of World War II. While the area around the rebuilt Sensoji has regained its former popularity after the war, the same cannot be said for Asakusa’s entertainment district.

For centuries, Asakusa used to be Tokyo’s leading entertainment district.

During the Edo Period (1603-1868), Asakusa was the site of kabuki theatres and a large red light district. In early 1900s, modern types of entertainment, including movies, set foot.

Asakusa’s main attraction is Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple, built in the seventh century. It is approached via the Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.

Maid Cafés In 2000, the first of the ‘maid cafes’ opened their doors in Akihabara, in which typical manga-style maids serve tea and cakes to young guests tired after a usually tense workday.

When a guest comes to the cafe, maids say “Welcome home, Master” even if it is his first time there, as these girls play ‘maids belonging to the guest’s mansion’.

After a busy workday, Japanese youngsters tend to go to a maid café to share their stories and chatter with maids.

When the guest is leaving, the maid says, “Have a nice day, Master.”

Upmarket Ginza

Ginza is Tokyo’s most famous, upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment district, as it features numerous department stores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, night clubs and cafes.

One square metre of land in the district’s centre is worth over 10 million yen ($100,000), making it one of the most expensive real estate areas in Japan.

It is where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee and where virtually every leading name in fashion and cosmetics has a presence.

From 1612 to 1800, today’s Ginza district was the site of a silver coin mint, after which the district was eventually named. The Ginza evolved as an upmarket shopping district following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake n JUNE 10

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