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We stood in the middle of the main plaza of Prague. A small jazz ensemble began playing the Louis Armstrong favorite “What a Wonderful World.” Suddenly we deeply understood that this world is wonderful, and we are happy to share it with you. Read more Asheboro, United States
  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 34

    The Port of Nagasaki

    October 19, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    From the 16th to the 19th century the Tokagawa Shogunate decreed that the only Japanese port open to foreigners would be Nagasaki. Beginning with the Portuguese traders in the 1500’s, Nagasaki was the only part of Japan foreigners were allowed to visit. For 300 years, to the Western world, Japan was Nagasaki, and Nagasaki was Japan. No wonder Puccini set his opera Madama Butterfly here in the grand estate of Scottish trader Thomas Blake Glover, which now overlooks the Viking Orion.

    The traders established shipyards here, some of which still operate. Although foreigners were required to live on an island outside the city, they could come into the town during daylight hours to trade. And how they did trade! There were so many foreign merchants in Nagasaki that they actually changed the culture. In Japanese there was no word for “thank you” until they heard Portuguese traders saying “obrigado.” The Japanese elided that word into “arigato,” and so it stands today.

    Because Nagasaki was such a busy trading center, shipyards sprung up on both sides of the long estuary to the south. First, sailing ships and later iron, coal-fired steamers were built, as Japan frenetically attempted to catch up with Europe. A major shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Corporation, diversified in the 20th century to build cars, weapons and airplanes. The Russo-Japanese War, World War I and the invasion of China in the 1930’s caused the conglomerate to expand exponentially. By 1935 nine-tenths of Nagasaki’s adult population was employed by Mitsubishi. The town was one of Japan’s most prosperous.

    What can be a blessing in one season can become a curse when seasons change. The shipyards of Nagasaki made it a prime target in World War II. Nagasaki’s shipyards were subjected to five different conventional bombing raids before the attack on August 9, 1945 made the name Nagasaki synonymous with “holocaust.”

    Despite the monumental tragedy, the postwar American occupation officials under General Douglas McArthur did not dissolve Japanese conglomerates. They realized that to restore the nation economically, the vigorous business generated by companies such as Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toyota and Toshiba would be important.

    Those companies are still here, and so is Nagasaki, thriving and beautiful. The city is still challenged by Japan’s current economic woes spawned by mismanaged prosperity in the 1980’s. Judging from the way she has recovered from cataclysmic setbacks in the past, however, I would bet that Nagasaki is not out of the game yet.    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 33

    Miss Cherry Blossom 🌸

    October 18, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Ever since we left Tokyo I have awakened every morning thinking, “Today can’t possibly be as good as yesterday was.” Yet each day we have found that every new place we visit has its own special charms. I will confess that while yesterday’s “Blood Pond Hell” may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the people of Beppu and the welcome they gave us will stay in my heart forever.

    I had the same thoughts when we sailed into Kagoshima this morning, “There is no way today could be as good as yesterday,” but as soon as I awoke, I threw open the curtains and saw a mile-high smoking volcano staring me in the face. Mount Sakurashima dropped into our bedroom to say hello, and I knew this would be no ordinary day.

    At first I thought the clouds surrounding the summit were just—well—clouds, until I realized that those clouds were going UP out of the mountain. She was venting steam and pumping out pumice ash. Suddenly I thought, “I don’t care if the mountain’s name means ‘Cherry Blossom Mountain,’ this girl is locked and loaded.” This lady could be lethal.

    She was alone on her own island until 1946 when she spewed out enough lava to make a bridge to the mainland. So now, even though the locals talk about Sakurashima Island, technically it is not an island anymore.

    Later in the morning as we were on the way to the Kagoshima Museum our guide told us that the local weather report gives a daily index of the volcano. Level 1 means the Lady is asleep. Level 5 means “Get the heck out of Dodge.” The guide told us that today the mountain is at level 3. He said “There will be some ash fall today. If the wind is from the west there will be no problem, but if it comes from the southeast, we will all be sweeping our walkways tonight.” In Kagoshima the residents are accustomed to living with Miss Cherry Blossom 🌸.

    Despite her tantrums, however, and largely because of Miss Cherry Blossom, Kagoshima is one of the most beautiful places on earth.    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 33

    The Big Picture

    October 18, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    If one were looking for a place to live, he would be hard pressed to find a better place than Kagoshima. This area not only has a rich history, it has one of the most varied economies in Japan. Rich volcanic soil grows record levels of produce and livestock for the Asian market. Access to the ocean provides seafood for all of southern Japan. Careful to husband all renewable resources, local industries harvest trees from the deep woods carpeting the multitude of nearby mountains and islands. Perhaps most importantly, all of these assets combine to assure that tourism is among the major concerns in Kagoshima Bay. Good highways and airline service, along with Japan’s famous bullet trains make all of Japan’s major cities accessible.

    After looking intensively at the history and economy of this area we had the opportunity to go to an observation point high above the city. It is difficult to take in all of the potential, much less all the beauty of Kagoshima. I leave this place somewhat embarrassed that I had not previously given the city of Kagoshima much thought. After being here, though, I will long remember this magnificent city and its remarkable people, both past and present.    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 33

    The Naples of the Orient

    October 18, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Kagoshima is often compared to the Italian city of Naples. The climate is about the same, both towns are festooned with palm trees, and both sit at the foot of an enormous, gorgeous volcano.

    One could argue that Japan would not be Japan without the city of Kagoshima. The streets are peppered with statues of famous men who have changed the history of this nation. Saigo Takamori was the scion of a wealthy samurai dynasty ruling here for over 200 years. He was instrumental in securing the victory of the Emperor who began the Meiji restoration in the late 19th century. In a strange chain of events, however, he ultimately rebelled against the Emperor and was killed in the revolt. We passed by the spot where he was killed in battle in 1877. Check out Tom Cruise’s movie “The Last Samurai” to get a clearer sense of the history. In the movie the character Katsumoto roughly corresponds with the life of Saigo Takamori. He was not the only hero here, however. The first Japanese physician to practice Western medicine called Kagoshima home. The list of Kagoshima’s residents who have affected the course of world events is long.

    The story I like best deals with the 17 teenagers from the 19th century who saw hints that the West was way ahead of Japan scientifically, industrially and militarily. They ignored a ban on foreign travel, escaped Japan and visited the West. Spending several years in England and the United States, they brought back the news that their homeland had some catching-up to do. Japan embraced modernization with a vengeance and and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries conducted its own Industrial Revolution on steroids.

    Our visit into this remarkable town was eye-opening. Yasu, our guide, has an excellent command of the English language and led us through one of the most interesting museums I have ever visited. In the atrium one walks on a sheet of lucite over a three-dimensional topographical map of Kagoshima Bay. The hallway is an exact reproduction of a prehistoric cavern, complete with stalactites and stalagmites. The passageway leads to the exhibit of the most ancient artifacts discovered in the area. As one passes through the museum, he advances in time until he comes to the present. Art, tools, music, writing, medicine, politics and technology are all presented in very attractive displays.

    Wandering through the well designed exhibition hall makes it easy to understand why the local residents are so proud of their homeland. Without Southern Kyushu, Japan would be radically different and not nearly so interesting.    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 32

    Time to Say Goodbye

    October 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    The Japanese people are the kindest people in the world. This morning when the Viking Orion docked at Beppu, the loudspeakers on the pier played happy, upbeat rock music in Japanese with a few great American oldies thrown in. Just now Viking Orion gave three blasts of the horn indicating we were leaving. All of the workers on the dock and in the passenger ship terminal, with quite a few local residents gathered on the pier to wave goodbye. The music changed to a plaintive farewell, and as they waved and the music played, I wiped away a tear.Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 32

    Decorative Language

    October 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    It is trendy in Japan to use English words not to communicate but to decorate, especially on clothing. One can see T-shirts here with the strangest English. I saw one with the inscription “Texas Excite Extreme Moving.” Another T-shirt declared, “Eight Bank Tofu.”

    Glenda found one with the inscription “Precise Dwarf Bravery.” Another reads, “Don’t Choice I Wicked Want Funny.”

    Finally,

    IT IS THE EVENT OF ANCIENT TIMES—LONELY GRANDMOTHER

    Words used often include “Texas,” “Luxury,” “Big,” “Increase,” and “You.” How about: “BECAUSE YOU ARE SLIPPERY, DO NOT ENTER POOL.”

    Sometimes even when the Japanese are trying to make translatable English, something falls through the cracks. A business we passed had a sign declaring it was “A Technology World’s Large Front.” I’m still not quite sure what they sell.

    Of course, we in the West do the same thing. Back in North Carolina we went into a restaurant where a waitress sported a tattoo of a Chinese character on her forearm. Although I could read the character, I asked her what it meant. She said, “It means ‘harmony or love.’”

    I did not have the heart to tell her it actually means “teaspoon.”    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 32

    Blood Pond Hell

    October 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Beppu is the most active seismic area on the island of Kyuushuu. Two major fault lines run along the sides of this city. Downtown, amid spectacular mountains, you can see dozens of large pipes driven deep into the ground venting clouds of steam. The ground here is hot—not stovetop-hot, but very warm hot-water-bottle hot. We visited first a facility which has made natural basalt for 300 years. Unlike regular basalt, this stuff is creamy white. A small amount is sky blue, colored with deposits of dissolved aluminum. The basalt crystals seep up from steamy cracks in the earth, growing about 1 mm per day.

    Our second stop was in a place called Blood Pond Hell. A steaming lake is colored brick red by dissolved iron oxide. The gift shop here sells images of the Buddhist demon in charge of hell. I wouldn’t want to mess with him.

    As interesting as these sights were, I was much more impressed by the kindness of the residents here. They are accustomed to visitors. Tourism is the major industry here because a large number of newlyweds come here for the thermal baths. Japanese law forbids bathing suits in the baths, so Beppu is the Niagara Falls or Myrtle Beach for Japanese nuptials. The local visitors’ center welcomed us with upbeat recorded music on the pier and a traditional “Lion Dance” performed by its employees. School children sat down to have lunch on the large field adjacent to the pier. Two athletes with baseball gloves played catch on the other side of the field.

    Beppu is quiet today. I hope the seismic forces underneath this land will be as kind to the people here as they have been to us. May the ground under Beppu lie quietly for many centuries to come so that these good people can grow and live and love.    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 32

    Something in the Air

    October 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    We are docking in the port of Beppu. There’s something in the air. I can smell it. This place is an area of volcanic hot springs and geysers. Sulfur and hydrogen sulfide hang heavy in the air. This picture shows the spectacular coastal mountain range that marks the junction of two tectonic plates. Volcanoes and hot springs are common here. More to come.Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 31

    Floating Shrine

    October 16, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    In the 16th century Itsukushima Island was considered to be divine. Only priests and monks could go there. Of course you know by now that the tori gate marked the entrance to a holy place, so the priests built a striking vermillion, fifty-foot-high tori for this island-temple out in the water.

    Not only is the island sacred, so are its critters. The deer, foxes and hawks that still wander here unafraid of humans. In fact, if you’re not watchful, a deer will sneak up, or a hawk will swoop down and steal your lunch.

    It is no longer true that only holy men can come here. Rivers of tourists and junior-high field trippers joined us on the ferry to the island and flowed past us into the Shinto shrine, the stately Buddhist temple and the hundreds of shops and restaurants. I got a kick out of saying, “Hello,” and hearing a dozen eighth-grade Japanese students respond “Hello!” practicing their English. Despite the masses of people, however, everyone stayed in line, remained courteous and displayed impeccable kindness. The Japanese really are amazing.

    It is still true that the island is disarmingly beautiful. Nature here is gently preserved, and the trees, pools and hills look as though they have lain undisturbed for centuries. The island holds an ancient stage for Noh theater, whose sacred actors have now gone to the cities.

    I hope you will have a chance to come to this sacred island to emjoy its unsurpassed beauty. But if you do, be careful to guard your lunch.    Read more

  • Glaciers & Geishas
    Day 30

    Kagura

    October 15, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    A local troupe of performers came out from Hiroshima and presented their local adaptation of a historical play. Quite similar to the ancient Japanese Noh theater, their dance tells the story of a young warrior who encounters a couple with a beautiful daughter. They tell him that they have had seven previous daughters. There are also eight fearsome huge serpents in the neighborhood. Each daughter was eaten by one of the snakes, and now they fear that their only living daughter, the most beautiful, will be eaten by the king of the snakes. If the young warrior can kill the snakes, her parents tell him, he can marry their daughter.

    There follows a colorful, thirty-minute show of the most meticulous choreography I have ever seen. The energetic dance is such that the warrior’s sword is repeatedly at the precise location of the dragon’s neck, even though the creature’s operator is inside the costume and can hardly see the warrior. With all the writhing, spinning and dancing, the color and motion of the performance is mesmerizing.

    I won’t reveal the outcome of the story. You’ll have to see it for yourself. I hope you can take this Viking cruise soon. You’ll see things you will never forget.    Read more

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