Summer vacation 2011 - Etajima

It was the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, but instead of visiting the city, we made a brief stop was made at Etajima, home of the old Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, and presently being occupied by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Maritime Officer Candidate School. This is the birthplace of Japan's naval officers.

Part of the education includes self-reflection using the Five Reflections (五省).

Here's the little kid standing on the stage in the main hall, which is used for ceremonies.

Summer vacation 2011 - Hagi

Our hosts brought us to Hagi, a place famous for producing prime ministers as well as many of the brains of the Meiji Restoration. While Hagi Castle is no more, there are still remnants of the castle, such as this portion of the north gate.

Hagi also has many buildings built during the Edo and Meiji periods.

These old houses have beautiful gardens.

One of the figures of the Meiji Restoration is Takasugi Shinsaku, and he is still remembered today with his statue here.

Another figure of the Meiji Restoration was Kido Takayoshi, and we visited his old house.

It is amazing that this small town produced many prominent figures... back not so if you know why. Yoshida Shoin set up his school, Shoka Sonjuku, in Hagi and taught many of these prominent figures. Today, the school is part of a larger shrine dedicated to Yoshida Shoin.

The remains of Shoka Sonjuku.

The Shoin Shrine, dedicated to Yoshida Shoin.

Summer vacation 2011 - Akiyoshi Caves

After leaving Hiroshima, we set off for Akiyoshi (秋吉).

On the way, we stopped by a service area on the expressway near Miyajima. It brought back memories of running up and down Mount Misen, the highest peak on the island. And of course, the huge red torii gates of Itsukushima Shrine is what Miyajima is famous for.

Akiyoshi Caves is a set of limestone caves, running about 1km in length. It was quite a walk, but the view inside was impressive. And of course, somehow, the temperature was cool too! Very much different from the summer heat.

We also manage to drive through Akiyoshidai, a plateau with uplifted reef limestones.

Summer vacation 2011 - Hiroshima

We started our summer vacation at Hiroshima on the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city, very much by coincidence. It was never our plan to visit the city on the anniversary, and I only came to realise that we would be visiting on the anniversary a day before departure.

But since we were in the city, we took the opportunity to take part in the events that were taking place. Like praying for world peace.

And writing our wishes for peace on a paper lantern and setting it down the river, together with everyone else.

Of course, a visit to Hiroshima is never complete without a picture of the Hiroshima A-bomb Dome.

66 years after Hiroshima

Today marks the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, and we are off to visit the city.

Open to immigrants

Maritime nations like the US (and the British Empire of old) had policies that welcome immigrants, and I see that as a source of their power. By being open to immigrants, nations are able to fulfill their workforce requirements (not just the brains but also the brawn) to allow continued economic growth. This is especially pressing given that developed nations tend to have a demographic structure that is top heavy (look at Japan now). Singapore's history is weaved intricately with an immigrant society that eventually gave birth to one of the world's leading ports. But we must not forget that, as with all developed nations, we will face the top-heavy demographic structure eventually, and the key to continued economic growth may well be found in our history. Japan is facing the problems of an aging society and workforce now. Let's see how her immigration policies (whatever form and direction they take) affects her economic future, and see if we can draw some lessons from them before it is too late for us.

Japanese inefficiency... sigh...

I went to convert my Singapore driving licence to a Japanese driving licence today, so that I can continue to drive in Japan after my international driving permit expires. It was not a good experience... because I had a taste of Japanese inefficiency.

Coming from a country that stresses productivity and efficiency, I just could not understand the long waits. There were a total of 15 applicants today to convert their driving licences to Japanese driving licences. After submitting our relevant documents, we waited... and waited... After the staff checked through my documents to make sure that I met the requirements for conversion (and it took quite a while for them to do that...), I was told to get my eyesight checked, and after that to make payment. Then it was more waiting as the staff proceeded to key in the data into their system, and when that is finally done, I was told to get my photo taken (digitally) and then wait to get my licence. There was a lot of waiting before going to the next step. If I had used the time waiting (while the staff was checking my documents) to check my eyesight and get my photo taken, I am sure I would have shortened like 10-15min of the process.

Of course, if everything was computerised from the start, I am sure I would not have to wait 4 hours just to get my driving licence converted, in a queue of 15 applicants... and I was number 5 in the queue!

Japan may be the third largest economy in the world, but if she is ever to regain her world footing, she seriously needs to start looking around at what others are doing and start catching up, rather than live in her ivory tower thinking the world is still far behind. It is not just about computerising her processes... she may want to look into the processes themselves to see if they can be streamlined. Why are we still doing things like we have for the past 20 years (or more)?

Kannonzaki trip

We took a short drive down to Kannonzaki (観音崎), which is at the entrance of Tokyo Bay. There is a small little beach here, where people can fish, swim, or just walk around.

My wife found a sea cucumber amongst the rocks.

The famous Kannonzaki Lighthouse, helping mariners find their way into Tokyo Bay.

Site of an old battery, where cannons used to be, to guard the entrance of Tokyo Bay.

Kites are a common sight in the Miura Peninsula, and we saw lots of them at Kannonzaki as well.

We had lunch at a small little restaurant, and the owners actually have their own ukelele band and performed two pieces for us.

Japan's dilemma

Just a thought as I was walking home just now. Japan wants the US here, to maintain the region's balance of power. But the US is cautious about being overstretched, and thus wants Japan to play a bigger role in the US-Japan alliance. To keep the US committed to the region, Japan needs to take up a bigger role, answering the US call. But at the same time, if Japan takes up a bigger role, the US no longer needs to maintain a big presence in the region, giving the US a reason to scale down her presence here. Japan is thus faced with a dilemma. If she wants the US to remain in the region, she needs to answer the US call and play a bigger role. Yet if she plays a bigger role, the US can then scale down their presence in the region. It is really being caught in between a rock and a hard place.

Slogans for a new Japan

Two slogans that can help define Japan's vision for the future.

「塙（はなわ）を目指せ」
「刃（は）」をつける：鋭い（精鋭の）軍事力・経済力を作る。
「名（な）」を得る：威信を高める。
「和（わ）」を守る：安定した国内・国際環境を作る。

「大和（やまと）魂」
やりがいのある経済、
まとまりのある内外政策、
ともに生きる。

Kumamoto Castle

On the way back from Okinawa, we had to make a short business stop at Kyushu, and I managed to find time to visit Kumamoto Castle.

For 10,000 yen, you can become one of the owners of the castle. So how would you like to own your own castle?

Okinawa summer 2011

I went to Okinawa for work in the early part of July 2011, and had some time to roam around to do a bit of sightseeing. The summer in Okinawa is hot, but not as hot as Tokyo, and the nice breeze makes it a lot better than being in Tokyo.

First stop is International Street, Kokusai-dori 国際通り in Japanese. Here is the tourist part of town, with lots of shops selling gifts and Okinawan goods, and restaurants catering to tourists.

We had a chance to see some Okinawan music being performed as well.

The Cornerstone of Peace is built in memory of all those who perished in Okinawa during World War Two. The names of these people are engraved in the black stone tablets found in the park, while there is a separate building that houses exhibits related to World War Two and how Okinawa suffered during the war.

The Imperial Japanese military fought an attrition war from tunnels. The tunnels of the old navy headquarters are now opened to public.

A trip to Okinawa is not complete without a visit to Shuri Castle, where the Ryukyu court used to reside before Okinawa was annexed by Japan.

And did you know? Commodore Perry actually stopped by in Okinawa before he went to Japan.

Tanabata poem

Tanabata (七夕) is a Japanese festival that originated from China. And this is my Tanabata poem:

七夕夜
君が愛しい
恋心
遠い南に
一人寂しく
(Tanabata-yo
Kimi ga itoshii
Koi kokoro
Tooi minami ni
Hitori sabishiku)

Shiohigari 潮干狩り

We went to a beach near Hakkei-jima 八景島, known as Umi-no-koen 海の公園 (translated roughly into "park by the sea").

And there, we joined in the large crowd that was gathered during the low tide to pick clams. This is known as shiohigari (潮干狩り) in Japanese. The smaller ones are known as asari in Japanese. The two large ones were found by me!

Kites, again, are common here. And here is a shot of a kite flying low over the beach.

The kids... they really enjoyed their day at the beach!

Identity awareness

It is quite interesting for me to realise how being away from Singapore and being amongst Japanese actually help me learn more about what being Singaporean is all about. By immersing myself in a foreign culture, I instead come to understand my own culture better than before. After all, when asked, "What do you think from a Singaporean point of view?", I have to come up with a logical answer that more or less represents what an average Singaporean would think. And that means I need to know Singapore culture/history/thinking better to provide the basis for logical thinking.

So being in Japan not only allows me to understand the Japanese better, it helps me understand what being Singaporean is all about.