🌸 Noire Henro-san: Japan

Red-crowned cranes in flight

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hayo gozaimasu. Good morning from Japan! That’s right, Japan. Cherry blossoms. Tatami mats. Car manufacturing behemoths. Pearl Harbor. Hiroshima. World War II. Festivals. Manga and anime. Sashimono. Sushi. Tea. Tsunamis. Bullet trains. Castles and temples. Earthquakes. Godzilla.

This island nation is defined by these words and… memories:

That’s what the world is, after all: an endless battle of contrasting memories.
– Haruki Murakami

And here I am.

Flying To Japan

I arrived at the airport for my early morning flight two hours early as advised. Wouldn’t you know, my check-in and TSA inspection took less than 15 minutes after my arrival. Murphy’s Law, again.

After 2 hours, it was time for takeoff. Soon, we started a journey to the other side of the world.

The flight was full but we managed to eat, sleep, and use the facilities without incident. First, we made a stopover to change planes in San Francisco before skipping across the Pacific Ocean.

In all, it was an almost twenty-hour air odyssey to the city of Osaka, Japan.

A few things to know about Japan

After opening its ports in 1854, the country began to intensively modernize and industrialize. By the early 20th century it had become a regional power. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and ally of the US.

While the emperor, Emperor Naruhito, retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. The country has a parliamentary constitutional monarchy headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The seat of government is in the capital of Tokyo. It is the world’s most populous city (14 million) and most populous metropolitan area (40 million). Tokyo is located on Honshu, the country’s largest island.

More Japan Facts

Population:
123.7 million, population growth: -0.41

Read here about the effect of negative population growth in Japan.

Area:
Ranked 62nd in size in the world, the country is made up of over 14,000 islands. That is 364,000 square kilometers of land and 13,000 square kilometers of water.

Economic overview

Japan is a diversified, trade-oriented economy. It is 4th behind the US, China, and Germany. Highly indebted, the country is experiencing slow wage growth and a declining labor force. Its central bank has maintained long-term negative interest rates amid modest inflation.

The country is heavily hydrocarbon-reliant. It is totally dependent on imported fuel for the majority of its energy needs.

The government has increased military spending. It continues to do so in 2024.

GDP: $5.126 trillion (2021 est.),
Per capita GDP: $40,800 (2021 est.),

United States ($21.1 trillion and $63,700) and China ($24.8 trillion and $17,600), respectively

Industries:
Motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods;

Natural resources:
Small amount of mineral resources, fish;

Agricultural products:
Rice, milk, sugar beets, vegetables, eggs, poultry, potatoes, cabbages, onions, pork;

Exports:
$919.2 billion (2021 est.) made up of cars/vehicle parts, integrated circuits, general machinery, photo lab equipment, construction vehicles, semiconductors (2021)

Imports:
$941.7 billion (2021 est.) made up of crude petroleum, natural gas, integrated circuits, coal, refined petroleum, iron (2021);

Demographics:
Japanese (97.8%), Chinese (0.6%), Korean (0.3%), (1.3%, includes Filipino, Brazilian, Nepalese, Indonesian, American, and Thai);

Religion:
Shintoism (48.6%), Buddhism (46.4%), Christianity (1.1%), other 4%.

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source: CIA World Factbook (Feb 2024)

That is a lot of information to process while flying to Japan! Forgive me, it helped fill the time.

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We’re here

Osaka

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan with a population of 2.7 million. As part of a larger metropolitan group, it has a population of 19 million people. It is considered a major cultural, financial, and industrial center in the country and played a crucial role in its development.

Leaving Osaka for Tokushima

This was my first stop in Japan. However, I’m heading straight to Tokushima on Shikoku island. First, I’ll take a bus to Tokushima City, then a train to Bando Station which is very close to Temple 1. My accommodation for the night is minutes away, so I’ll walk there.

Now, let’s get to the place where I will lay my head for the night.

The host at the minshuku was waiting for me. There were two men from Japan who were also beginning their pilgrimage in the morning.

After my ablutions, a little food, and a good night’s sleep, I will begin my pilgrimage. I just need to shake off the jet lag and clear my mind.

And begin to make memories.

🌙

Baadaye and Mata Ne (またね)

Shirley J ❤️

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During the spring of 2024, I began a pilgrimage in Japan where I am walking 1200 kilometers or 720 miles on the Shikoku trail from Temple 1 Ryōzenji to Temple 88 Ōkuboji and beyond. Read my original announcement here.

I am excited, and I am here, still walking. And just know this, I will return to tell the tale!

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featured image:

In Asia, red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) have been symbols of fidelity in marriage, good luck, long life and love. They are considered to be very sacred. They have been the subjects of many poems, mythology and art from this region; image: Grus japonensis, by Spaceaero2, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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