Shirakawa-go Traditional Houses in the Gassho Style

Shirakawa-go (village) is special for three points as follows: First, there are many old Japanese style houses which are very difficult to see any other place, what's more, these houses are used by village people in their actual lives.

Second, the style of the houses "Gassho Zukuri" is unique. "Gassho" means "palms placed together", "Zukuri" means "style" or "structure". Gassho Zukuri is a feature of the houses is the steep roof (of 45 degree to 60 degree), and the structure is called gassho zukuri because the houses resemble palms placed together and fingers pointing upward in prayer. No nails or other metal materials are used. (quoted from　Japan National Tourism Oraganization)

Third, the houses (including Gokayama area, near Shirakawa-go) are registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. This status is the only one in Japan for old houses.

As for me, I like the shape of Gassho zukuri very much since I was a child. I have many reasons as mentioned above, I decided to go to Shirakawa-go. This village is just what I'd expect.

Access and Entrance

Many tourists may choose the way to Shirakawa-go, from Tokyo or Osaka to Nagoya by Shinkansen bullet train, then to Shirakawa-go by bus. It takes about three hours from Nagoya to Shirakawa-go.

FYI:Access to Shirakawa-go - Shirakawa village office

I like train trips, so I got in a train directly connected between Osaka and Takayama (nearest train station of Shirakawa-go). It takes 50 minutes from Takayama to Shirakawa-go. This way costs more than the way from Nagoya to Shirakwa-go by bus, however, I enjoyed this better way.

Many shightseeing spots in Japan have poor guides for foreigners. As for Shirakawa-go, tourist maps are available in seven languages at Tourist Information Center, which is located in front of the Shirakawa-go bus stop.

When you walk over a bridge near the bus stop...

The scenery totally changes from modern to old, with many people. (this day was Friday.)

Inn

I had reserved this inn "Furusato" (home village). It isn't equipped with air conditioners. The TV is only in the dining room. Guests rooms are divided not by walls but by shoji (partitions / doors made by thin wood pain and paper), therefore everyone can hear you and vice versa.

Such "inconvenience" didn't make me disappointed. The climate in Shirakawa-go in September was comfortable (in Osaka and Tokyo, still hot and humid), other guests who stayed this inn the same night were polite and quiet.

On the other hand, rest rooms are modern and convenient. I feel this attitude - going together "maintain old good things" and "bring modern things" at other spots of Shirakawa-go. It seems to be the theme of this village.

The landlord recommended that you should use an external spa facility because the bath of this inn is small. She gave me a discount ticket of the facility.

The accommodation charge was 8900yen including dinner and breakfast, I think it is reasonable.

The men in these pics are the sons of the Japanese Emperor. (center is the crown prince, right is his younger brother) The landlord said they stayed at this inn when they were university students. I know that the Japanese Emperor family is relatively modest and non-gorgeous but was surprised at these pictures which showed such people stayed at this common touch inn.

A guest room for me.

Soba noodle

Soba noodle for lunch at "Nomura". It was good - never "a typical dull restaurant at a sightseeing place"

Flowers and Gassho-style houses

The Wada House

The Wada family were the leaders of this village. Nowadays, Wada family members live in this house. (you can see the Satellite antenna on the roof in an above pic) This house is designated as "Important Cultural Property" by the Japanese Government because this house is well preserved even for being constructed over 300 years ago. In addition, the size of this house is the biggest in this village. This is well worth seeing.

FYI: The Wada House - Shirakawa village office

This sign says, "Beyond this point, Wada-family's living space. Please do not open the door"

A silkworm factory floor.

Overview

Path to the hill which you can see the overview of this village from. Buses available to the top of this hill, but a healthy adult can walk to the top of the hill for only 10-15 minutes.

Overview.

Bath

"Shirakawa-Go-no-Yu", the bath which the landlord of "Furusato" recommended. It is in the gender-segregated. New and comfort.

Outside view from the rest space of the bath.

Inn Dinner

The main dish was "Hida-beef", famous tasty beef of this area. Worth a try.

In my room, I drunk a bottle of sake which was made at the local brewery. Staying at a genuine Gassho-style house, it was my dream from my childhood.

Next Morning

Sunny day.

Breakfast.

Next visit to the hill.

Gassho-style barns. I was surprised that Gassho style also applied to such small barns.

Takayama

At noon, I went back to Takayama station by bus.

I love ramen. I appreciated this ramen of restaurant "Kyo-ri" with fascinating soy-source flavor of soup.

No crowd was in this road from the station to the popular spot Sanmachi street...

When you walk into the street, you find such a crowd. Many tourists were there. (this day was Saturday.) I admit that this street has classical beauty, however, congestion made the value worse. In Shirakawa-go, many people also gathered, however it is a village, it has many streets and spaces. Sanmachi main street is only one, so many people concentrated on one narrow street.

You can go through Sanmachi street in only ten or less minutes by foot. At the end of the street, there is the Takayama Municipal Government Memorial Hall, which used to be the city office in the past. At this spot, you may enjoy the classical beauty of this area with a smaller crowd than in Sanmachi street.



I went back to Osaka on the return train of the outward one. Throughout two days, I really enjoyed the old Japanese houses and streets, with many tourists.

He said this was the Legendary Night - Paul McCartney at Budokan

Background

Budokan, the hall for Japanese martial arts in Tokyo, has special meaning for beatlemaniacs in Japan. It was the place of the first and the last concert of the Beatles in Japan, in 1966. Some Japanese old men criticized, "The foreigner pop stars use the holy place of Japanese traditional sports", however the administrator of Budokan admitted the Beatles to play in the hall. (Actually, at that time Budokan was the largest hall in Japan, and it was suitable for accommodating a big audience)

In 1975, Paul McCartney was scheduled to play there but the Japanese Ministry of Justice banned his entry to Japan. In 1980, Paul entered Japanese Customs for his concert at Budokan but he was arrested for cannabis possession. In 1990, 1993, 2002 and 2013 he played his music in Japan but not at Budokan. He finally released his plan to play at Budokan in 2014, however, he canceled all his concerts in Japan and Korea because of his sudden viral inflammation.

Such history makes this day so special - Paul sings his songs for the first time in 49 years after many incidents.

The Iconic Venue

Wating for the Show to begin

Yes, it is special even before starting. My music lover friend who has been to Budokan over decades said, "This is my first experience to see such big crowd surrounding Budokan four hours before the concert." The crowd is waiting for Paul to come.

The place around Budokan is also like the place of "the reunion party". Many beatlemaniac friends of mine from all over Japan gather here. What's more, I meet a Korean beatlemaniac friend. I enjoyed renewing my friendship. It also makes today more special.


After waiting in a long line, at last I enter Budokan.

All of the audience members find a small device and a explanation sheet on their own seats. The sheet says "Turn on and have this wrist band. This is a surprise for Paul McCartney-san. Thank you for your cooperation from Kyodo Tokyo (promoter) and The Beatles Club (fanclub)" What is this?

Sitting in the stands of Budokan, we are waiting for the show to begin.

Concert

Paul appears on stage.

The first song is, surprisingly, "Can't Buy Me Love". It is different from the other concerts of this present tour. This fact makes us feel impressed. We guess that Paul also might think this gig is special.

Not only the song selection but also other factors make this concert feel exceptional. Obviously Paul is surprised at our eagerness and passion. I realize that from his reactions - his talking on stage, guitar playing and singing. It's different from other concerts. In other concerts, he used many Japanese messages on stage with prepared scenario, but maybe he now talks with his unprepared messages and he concentrates on his music performance.

Our presumption is that "Paul feels this concert is special" turns out to be true when he says "Sekai-hatsu! (The first in the world)" and plays "Another Girl". Yes, it's the first performance! Big surprises from him!

After that, when Paul plays the piano for "Let it Be", suddenly all audience's wrist band light.

Paul seems to be surprised by this. It could be seen on his face. Our turn now.

Our wristbands become more colorful and audience becomes more excited.

Our wristbands show the Japanese flag and the Union Jack.

(photo by Mr. I. Yamano)



In response to us, Paul and his band members are gaining steam.

On the last track, the wristbands change their color every second and Paul, and his band and audience are reaching the high point of this gig.

Paul's face at the last moment of his playing.

The show ends. Paul says "This was the Legendary Night!"

After the show

With my beatlemaniac friends, we talk over this "Legendary Night" till midnight

Newspapers.

My impsession

This show reminds me of a scene in the movie "13 days", which described the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. When the US tried to impose a naval blockade against Cuba, the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said; "This, all this, is language, a new vocabulary the likes of which the world has never seen. This is President Kennedy communicating with Secretary Khruschev."

Like that, Paul McCartney and Budokan audience were communicating together with no words but "new vocabularies" - music, airs of excitement and illuminating wristbands. It made the show unique.

In my opinion, all arts are also communications. Among them, This "Paul McCartney at Budokan" is the best art, aka communication.

Paul's action on the following day of the Budokan night is the symbol of our communication. He revisited Budokan. He must have been impacted from the Legendary night.

(quote from Paul's official Twitter)



It also reminds me of this lyrics of the Beatles song "The End", written by McCartney; And in the end, the Love You take is equal to the Love You make.

The Day for National Foundation, not the National Foundation Day of Japan

The 11th of February is a holiday in Japan. Many Japanese people recognize it as The National Foundation Day. However, if you see any calendars in Japan, the precise name of the day is indicated as "The Day for National Foundation." This slight difference has a story as follows:

History around The National Foundation Day

Japan's first official history book "Nihon Shoki" which was written in 720 said that February 11th was the day that Jinmu the first Emperor of Japan ascended the throne in 660BC.

"Emperor Jimmu" Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)

However, it wasn't true history. Almost all of modern studiers of Japanese history think that the oldest existing emperor was in the 3rd century. However, from the 1870s to 1945, the Japanese government had told citizens that it was true history, because the dignity of the old Emperor system was needed to rule Japan smoothly. In 1872, the 11th of February was set as "the National Foundation Day." The government enhanced the dignity of the Emperor by, for instance, educating citizens that the Emperor was the descendant of gods. Using this entitlement, the government began to say that Japan, the nation of the gods, should rule Asia.

Abolition and revival

After WWII, the US occupation army banned the political usage of the Emperor. In 1946, the Emperor Hirohito (the period of his reign: 1925-1989) declared as follows: The tie between citizen of Japan and the Emperor doesn't depend on unreal thoughts, such as, "The emperor is the living god" and "The Japanese race is more excellent than other races, therefore the Japanese race should rule the world."
In 1948, The National Foundation Day was abolished.

As time passed, some diet members of the administration party (the Liberal Democratic Party which it is conservative, and does not live up to the name) submitted the bill of the National Foundation Day. The members of left sided parties were strongly against them. In 1963, when a member of the LDP tried a forcible passage of the bill, opponents tackled him and this LDP man was carried to a hospital.

After that, the LDP members proposed an alternative plan to opponents. "How about we change the name of the February 11th holiday from The National Foundation Day, to The Day for the National Foundation," they said. "This name doesn't mean that the national foundation occurred on the 11th of February. People can think that this day is for thinking of and respecting the nation." In 1966, opponents compromised to this idea. Since 1967, the 11th of February in Japan has been made a the holiday again.

The communist party reacted with slight resistance. The party didn't admit the day as a holiday, therefore members and staff of the party worked on the 11th of February. Some people felt it was a proud act. but some other people didn't like it. For example, children of the staff hated the system because they weren't able to go on vacation on the day like other non-communist families. In 2004, the party began to treat some "controversial" days as holidays -- the 11th of February, the 29th of April (Showa Emperor's birthday, in 2004, it was called "Greenery Day", but now has reverted back to "Showa Day") and the 23rd of December (the reigning Emperor's birthday)

My Opinion

I also don't think the 11th of February as the real national foundation day. On the other hand, I think that the existence of the Day for National Foundation is good. Another date is better, however I can't conceive of a more proper date. The 3rd of May, the day the present Constitution came into effect in 1947 may be the best, but the day is already established as the Constitution Memorial Day, a national holiday.
The 11th of February is the Day for National Foundation - it is not proper, but I reluctantly admit it.

Why is the US military in Japan?

Why is the US military in Japan? Some non-Japanese people seem to think it is because the US monitors Japan. However, most Japanese people don't think this.

Generally, Japanese people think as follows:

Reason 1: The constitution of Japan states that Japan can't have an army. Therefore, Japan needs the US army for its defense. When thinking about if Japan needs the US for it's defense, it is important to look at, "The Constitution of Japan"

The Constitution of Japan, Article 9
Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.


According to Article 9, Japan is supposed to have renounced it's right to war. However, as stated by "Global Firepower*", Japan has the Self Defense Forces whose military power ranks 10th in the world, surpassing Israel's.

*Global Firepower (GFP) provides a unique analytical display of data concerning today's world military powers. Over 100 world military powers are considered in the ranking which allows for a broad spectrum of comparisons to be achieved concerning relative military strengths.


Global Firepower -2014 World Military Strength Rankings (nuclear capability is not taken into account)
The GFP Top 10: 1. United States 2. Russia 3. China 4. India 5. UK 6. France 7. Germany 8. Turkey 9. South Korea 10. Japan 11. Israel 12. Italy 13. Egypt

Therefore, Japan does not actually need the US for its defense.

FYI: Why is the Japanese government able to state the Self Defense Force as non-military despite its strong military power?

Ministry of defense: The Government's View on Article 9 of the Constitution
(Extract) The self-defense capability to be possessed and maintained by Japan under the Constitution is limited to the minimum necessary for self-defense.

The specific limit has a relative aspect of varying with the international situation, the level of military technology and various other conditions. It is defined in the Diet, the representatives of the people through deliberations about each fiscal year budget etc. However, whether or not the said armed strength corresponds to "war potential" prohibited under paragraph 2 of Article 9 of the Constitution is an issue regarding the total strength that Japan possesses and maintains. Accordingly, whether or not the SDF are allowed to possess some specific armaments is decided by whether the total strength will or will not exceed the constitutional limit by possessing such armaments.

But in any case in Japan, it is unconstitutional to possess what is referred to as offensive weapons that, from their performance, are to be used exclusively for total destruction of other countries, since it immediately exceeds the minimum level necessary for self-defense. For instance, the SDF is not allowed to possess ICBMs, long-range strategic bombers or offensive aircraft carriers.

Reason 2: The location of Japanese islands was, and still is important for the balance of power in Asia. Therefore America, the world's police, needs to have many military bases in Japan.

In the era of the Cold War, it was a probable theory that America needed Japan to police Asia. South Korea and Japan bordered the Soviet Union, China and North Korea, which were communist powerhouses at the time. Japan could therefore have been an important frontline country for the West.

Many Japanese people believed this theory, my father being one of them. I remember a conversation with my father in the early 80s. I was junior high school student. I told him that the US should set up more military bases in Hokkaido, the northern large island in Japan. I knew it was not far from Hokkaido to the nearest island of Soviet Union (only 42km or 26miles). My father said, "Boy, do you know the reason the US never set up a base in Hokkaido? If it does so, the Soviet Union will think it is not a deterrence but take it as a war declaration. Very sensitive topic." To me, this experience represents the fact that Japanese people were aware of the tensions between the West and the East in the Cold War era, and Japan's important role in this conflict.

At that time, many Japanese people believed the US bases were necessary on islands in Japan. Now however, many people think that the current situation with China is the same as Japan's relationship with Russia during the Cold War. Therefore, they think that Okinawa is key for Japan's defense and the balance of power in Asia. The area size of the US bases in Okinawa accounts for 73.9% of all the US bases in Japan*. The large concentration of American power in one area (Okinawa) could be seen by some as America using Japan as a barrier against Asian countries such as China.
*http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/site/chijiko/kichitai/documents/kadai.pdf (in Japanese)

My opinion differs from this viewpoint. I agree that the US bases in Japan are located in Okinawa because of the Cold War, China and North Korea. However, the Cold War is now over and the likelihood of attack from China or North Korea is much lower than during the Cold War era. I therefore do not think that American still needs US bases in Japan to keep the balance of power in Asia.

My main opinion about the reason of the existence of the US bases in Japan is different from the above reason.

My opinion

The USA does not need Japan to keep the balance of power in Asia. The biggest reason for America's presence in Japan is that it costs less to locate US bases in Japan rather than in other countries. As can be seen in the graph below, Japan contributes more money to US bases and soldier salaries than any other country.

Allied Contributions to the Common Defense (United States Department of Defense 2004)

It can then be seen that Japan contributes more to US bases and soldier salaries than any other country.

Why Japan does this can be explained through events surrounding the establishment of Article 9?

The US wrote the first draft of The Constitution of Japan, including Article 9, in February 1946. At that time, the Cold War hadn't started yet. However, one month later, the Prime Minister of the UK, Churchill, first spoke of "The Iron Curtain", which is famous for signaling the beginning of the Cold War. In June 1950, the Korean War broke out. One month later, the US made Japan establish the National Police Reserve, which would later become the Self Defense Force. In short, I believe the US may have been anxious about Japan's remilitarization at first, but then used Japan as a wall against communist countries. After the Cold War ended, the US continued to take advantage of Japan simply to maintain the US bases at a low cost.

Conclusion: One more question

I believe America's military presence in Japan is not needed for Japan's defense to maintain the balance of power in Asia. It is simply because Japan provides a large amount of money for the US bases and soldier salaries. I must ask, why does Japan continue to support the US bases and provide them with a lot of money? Such policies are decided by the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. They are conservative and many members have a nationalistic mindset, however they choose to be dependent on the US. I can't understand why. I understand only that Japan has virtually been subordinate to the US from the end of World War II.

Why is Japan's unemployment rate so low?

Japan's unemployment rate and the recession

Japan's unemployment rate is lower than other developed countries.

United States Department of Labor "International Unemployment Rates and Employment Indexes, Seasonally Adjusted, 2009-2013"

People say that Japan has been experiencing a long recession, called "the lost twenty years", since 1992. If in a recession, then why is Japan's unemployment rate so low?

Japanese workers may be employed under harsher circumstances than unemployed people in the other developed countries

The reason why, has a strong relationship to the following chart.

International Labour Organization (International Institute for Labour Studies) 2009
The Financial and economic crisis: a Decent Work Response P.16

In 2009, to receive unemployment benefits, you would have had to have worked for over one year, have paid for employment insurance, be willing to work as soon as a company offers you employment and now be seeking a job. The amount of benefits received is about half of the amount of the applicant's former salary.
The period of receiving benefits is as follows: for applicants who quit his/her job, they can receive a max of 150 days pay. For applicants who were fired by a company, they can receive a max of 330 days pay. Disabled applicants can only receive a max of 360 days pay.
Labor Department of Japan, Osaka To persons intending to receive unemployment benefits of employment insurance system

Considering the bad conditions for those seeking unemployment benefits in Japan, many job seekers have no choice but to apply for a company which has bad (sometimes illegal) work conditions.

My opinion: The Reasons why Japanese society doesn't like to help unemployed people

Many young people, who feel the harsh reality of employment, never participate in elections. In the election for the lower diet of Japan in 2012, the ratio of people voting in their twenties was 37.89%. For voters in their seventies, the ratio was 74.93%.

Japanese people in older generations – in my opinion, over about 60 years old －　have tendencies to think "If a young person is in good health and yet unemployment, he or she is idle. Why do we have to pay our tax for such lazy people?" They spent their youth in the 60s to 80s. At that time, Japanese society kept the unemployment rate at 2%, while in European countries the unemplyment rate was 10%. That generation of Japanese citizens could get jobs easily. I got my job in 1993 (the first year of Japan's "lost twenty years"), after 6 job interviews for the same company. Three people, including me, got a job in my company out of 300 applicants from my university. After starting my job, an older co-worker in my office said; "I can't understand why my company is now "the narrow gate". He said he found it easy to get his job, "I only found a recruitment ad in a newspaper, applied, got this job. Maybe almost all of the applicants at that time could get jobs."

However, people from older generation have experienced other harsh realities. In their youth, Saturday wasn't a holiday. The words and concepts, "abuse of power" and "sexual harassment", didn't exist. More than in modern Japan, older people had absolute power – if a boss said something irrational, young people couldn't object, and had to simply obey him. Now such harsh realities have gone and people work under more favorable conditions. Therefore, people from older generations often think, "modern young people work in such favorable conditions, but they can't get jobs. They must be lazy."



My opinion about Japan's low unemployment rate can be explained through the following example. Miki Watanabe is the founder of a big pub-chain company. The company is notorious for its bad labor conditions. For example, their corporate identity is: "Work 24hours a day, 365days a year, till you die." A worker of this company committed suicide. Her work condition were: 140 hours overwork per month. On her designated "holidays", the company forced her to receive training from 7am, do "volunteer activities" and write a report about the "volunteer activities".

Watanabe, despite being such a notorious executive, was surprisingly elected for the upper diet in Japan. Among people in my generation (under 40 years of age), it was unbelievable. Many people from older generations feel the same way. However, some people from older generations wanted Watanabe to be in power. They thought modern Japanese society needed a severe leader, who says, "Work hard, don't be a spoiled child". In the end, 1 million voters voted for Watanabe, showing support of this work ethic. Clearly, older generations who supported Watanabe participated in the election, however younger people who were against Watanabe did not.

Japan's low unemployment rate compared to other developed countries', never means Japan's economy is in good condition. It means there is a big generation gap in understanding the real possibility of getting jobs in modern Japan and about their voting rates.