And as we leave Japan...

Ours was the arrival of the ignorant and burdened. We knew little about Japan and we were burdened by the popular belief that in the Far East, "mysticism" is what makes the people different.
After two thought full years and about 100 ports, tiny and huge, we are about to leave, educated to a very small degree in the culture of Japan and only now beginning to understand the reasons behind it.
In previous blog entries we've waxed lyrical on the great courtesies and kindness that have been showered on us by complete strangers in practically every place we've visited. Now we understand that giving a helping hand to a traveler is ingrained in this culture - an inescapeable duty traceable back to the agrarian society from which modern Japan has sprung.
But modernity is constantly tempered by socialist priorities. Whilst advanced electronics are what Japan is known for in the world outside, these are used in very limited ways within the country itself lest they cause jobs to be lost. Hence the mountains of paperwork and beaurocracy that one has to face if living or cruising here.
The language difficulty can be overcome by a smile, a dictionary, a few polite words of in Japanese and ... by careful listening. The listening is important because after you acclimatize to the sound of Japanese speech, you'll discover that many of the words that are in common usage are in fact English words, Japanized.
Japan is not Tokyo. In fact it could be said that Tokyo is not really Japan but a stylized, Manga'fied', Anime'd' caricature of what the younger population hope the future holds.
The reality is that the country is rapidly descending into old age with no visible plan to regenerate the workforce that catapulted the nation's economy into the second most powerful in the world.
And there is despair and hopelessness.
Whilst the suicide rate is not that of former Soviet countries today, it is the highest in the Western economic bloc with twenty eight per hundred thousand people. It is rising.
Some of the above are not "happy" news, but as the many Japanese friends with whom we have had long conversations agree, they are a truth that needs to be faced.
To all these dear friends, with sincere respect, and gratitude that will not be forgotten, we saikeirei (潀�-�礼).