An Introduction to Japan – Episode 2

By C.I. Sivasubramanian
Aged 96, Retired Director, Ministry of Commerce, New Delhi

Introduction by Venkat
In this second episode, the author begins with a brief political history of Japan with reference to the ‘golden era’ of the country. This is followed by the nuclear bombing incident during the world war and the inspiring progress of Japan into one of the leading economies of the world at present. Then Mr. C.I. Sivasubramanian proceeds to narrate his personal experience of visits in and around Tokyo. His narrative is lively as usual, with engaging imagery. Cannot wait for the next episode on Tokyo!

An Introduction to Japan – Episode 2

History

From the earliest times, Japan was ruled by an Emperor. Sometimes, he lost his power to the local chiefs whose hegemony covered outlying areas. These lords, called Daimyo, had hired warriors, known as Samurai, to protect them and their lands.

In the course of time these Samurais became very powerful. At some point, of time, out of compulsion or otherwise, the Emperor appointed a chief Samurai as the Army General (Shogun). The shogunate ruled the country on behalf of the Emperor for nearly 250 years till the middle of the l9th century, during which period the country was sealed from western influence. In l868, other clans clamoured and brought down the shogunate and gave the rule directly to the Emperor. Emperor Mutsuhito, who adopted ‘Meiji’ as his title, shifted his headquarters to Edo and renamed it Tokyo. The Emperor was a great reformist and introduced a number of reforms, particularly in the field of education. He introduced a new constitution, abolished the Samurai system and established a conventional army. He opened up the country to the outside world, and trade and commerce flourished. His era, known as the Meiji era, is considered as the golden era in the history of Japan.

The World War intervened in l940, and Japan was at war with the allies at the eastern front. They surrendered in l945 after two atom bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki after Bombing

The country was impoverished as all the money, men and material had been expended on war efforts. For quite some time after the war ended, the country was governed by the military occupation forces of the allies (actually the American forces). These occupation forces ensured the containment of militarism in Japan, by taking some drastic measures, like, for example, introduction of a new constitution, turning the Government into a democracy, deprivation of the Emperor of all his powers, and abolition of the armed forces. The Emperor became just the titular head of the country and the real powers were vested in the people. Later, the Americans withdrew, although they continue to keep their bases there (including in the Okinawa Island).

Present Day Japan

The present day population centres round the four big islands. People live mostly in the coastal plains which cover just about 1/4th of the land. That is why Japan has the densest population in the world. There are more than 125 million people in the country, the 7th highest in the world. Tokyo itself has more than 12 million people and is considered to be one of the largest cities in the world.

From the shambles of war, Japan has built up a modern society with all the conveniences that one can command. It is pure hard work, discipline and luck. They do not have any raw material to talk of, but are able to import all their requirements from abroad. They have built up the skills in almost all areas from steel, automobiles, electronics, to other sophisticated industries. Today, it is one of the most advanced economies of the world. Its TVs (Sony), watches (Seiko), Cameras (Cannon) Automobiles (Toyota) are popular all over the world.

I think we have spoken at length about Japanese history and culture. Now, let us find out how Japan looked through our own eyes. Let me share with you our own experiences in this country. This is quite a lengthy account and therefore split it into two for convenience of reading. We spent most of the time in Tokyo and visited places in and around it. Our son-in-law took us out whenever he had time, by car, and my daughter, on weekends, by train and, to nearby places, on foot. Unfortunately they had different holidays and therefore all of us could not go out together. With these constraints, we were able to see quite a few places in and around Tokyo, during our short stay there. Important places to see are the Tokyo tower, Rainbow bridge, Disney land, Meiji shrine, Asakusa temple, in Tokyo; Kamakura, Yokohama, Mt. Fuji, Hakone lake, Nikko, which are located within a radius of 200 km or so from Tokyo. We visited quite a few other places too.

Let me start with our own home. My son-in-law and family lived in the second floor of an apartment building in the Shinjuku-ku area. Shinjuku is one of the wards of Tokyo. It is in a posh area, close to the railway stations with lots of shopping centres around. The apartment has a big drawing and dining room, two bed rooms and lots of storage space. Considering the apartments that the Japanese live in, this was a luxurious accommodation. Every Japanese who visited the apartment was surprised and overawed by the size of the apartment. My daughter commuted to work by a local train. My son-in-law went to the airport, 80 km away, at Narita, by car. The children took a subway to go to school.

A small incident

I want to narrate a small incident at this point. Gautam and Aditya – those are the names of my grandchildren – hardly 9/10 year olds at that time, used to take a train to go to school. They had to change trains at two places. They were doing fine though they were small children, till one day when on their return home, Aditya slept over and passed our station. Gautam got down without realizing that Aditya didn’t. When Aditya didn’t accompany Gautam, there was a scare and my daughter and their grandpa called my son-in-law at work. Meanwhile a kind gentleman, seeing the sleeping boy in the train asked him if he knew the telephone no. of his parents and to which station he was bound. He was able to give the details. When the call was received my daughter and son in law went over to the station and the boy arrived safe and sound. Thereafter both the boys were given mobile phones and they were to give a call after reaching the school and when leaving the school. What a scare the incident created! Before we go on our excursion, let us have a preliminary view of Tokyo and its people.

To be continued…

By C.I. Sivasubramanian
Aged 96, Retired Director, Ministry of Commerce, New Delhi

Mr. Sivasubramanian hails from Coimbatore. He has been living in Delhi throughout life. He was employed with the Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and retired as Director in 1986.

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