Friday,
25 May 2024
I woke up at 4 am again this morning. After two gruelling
days of walking around Tokyo and beyond, I actually wanted today to be a lazy
day as my plan was to visit some places within Tokyo itself. But after reading
a bit about the places I wanted to go to, I decided to start out really early
to avoid the disastrous crowds who will no doubt wish to see the same places
that I wished to see.
So I left at 5.30 am by taxi (yes I know, I am a spoilt brat
but comfort over aching legs, anytime!) to visit the Hachiko statute at
Shibuya. I read that there would usually be a long line of tourists waiting for
their turn to take a picture with Hachiko. Since it was about 5.45 am, the
place was completely empty except from some local youngsters whom I guess were
hanging out there all night, by the looks of their party clothes but I may be
wrong. Anyway, Hachiko was all mine! I thought about my own girls and whether
they would mourn my death should they outlive me. I quickly dismissed this
sentimental thought because my dogs, especially the Fatty Pup, will be happy as
long as they are fed. Don’t think they will be missing me anytime soon.
Next, I wanted to go to the Meiji Jingu Shrine which is about
a 20 minute walk away. Since I haven’t solved the mysterious disappearance of
the ‘start’ function on my google maps, I accosted an unsuspecting local to ask
for the general direction of the shrine before heading out. This time I was
successful in finding it without getting lost along the way! The following
information is from the pamphlet available at the shrine.
The Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine. Shinto is called Japan’s
ancient and original religion, and it is deeply rooted in the way of Japanese
life. Shinto has no founder, no holy book, and not even the concept of
religious conversion, but Shinto values for example harmony with nature and
virtues such as Magokoro (sincere heart). In Shinto, some divinity is
found as Kami (divine spirit), or it may be said that there is an
unlimited number of Kami. Kami can be seen in mythology, in
nature, and in human beings. From ancient times, Japanese people have felt awe
and gratitude towards such Kami and dedicated shrines to many of them.
Meiji Jingu is dedicated to the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort
Empress Shoken (their tombs are in Kyoto).
Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914.
After their demise, people wished to commemorate their virtues and to venerate
them forever. Thanks to the sincere heart of the people, this shrine with the
forest was established on 1 November 1920. To create this forest, about 100,000
trees were donated from all over Japan, and planted by young volunteers. This
forest was carefully planned to make an eternal forest that recreates itself.
Now after about 100 years it cannot be distinguished from a natural forest,
inhabited by many endangered plants and animals. The inner garden (Gyoen)
is the only part that had existed before the establishment of Meiji Jingu. In
fact, it was Emperor Meiji who designed the iris garden, small paths, and
fishing spot specifically for Empress Shoken in order to give her fresh energy.
How sweet.
Emperor Meiji is the 122nd Emperor of Japan,
enthroned in 1826. The current Emperor is the 126th. When Japan was
facing unprecedented conditions such as the opening of the country to the world
after its long isolation and the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Emperor Meiji
took the initiative to promote friendship with other countries, and to adopt Western
culture and technology while preserving Japanese identity, and thus laid the
foundations of modern Japan.
Meanwhile, Empress Shoken not only supported the Emperor
behind the scenes but also devoted herself to promoting national welfare and
women’s education. She was also concerned about world affairs, and she donated
to a fund which is named after her as the ‘Empress Shoken Fund’, to the
International Red Cross, which is still being used for international welfare
activities until today.
Both the Emperor and Empress excelled in writing waka
(traditional Japanese poems of 31 syllables). Their feelings towards the world,
the country and the people, as well as ethical thoughts were expressed in their
poems. Here is an example each:
By Emperor Meiji:
In the palace tower
Each and every window
Was opened widely,
And then in four directions
We viewed cherry in full bloom!
By Empress Shoken:
When a person keeps
Friends who are considered good,
It is most natural
That he, too, in his conduct
Is honest and trustworthy.
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