Japan, Culturally Modern Country

It’s like dreams come true when you get a chance to visit The Land of the Rising Sun, Japan. I went on the wonderful journey about six months ago in the month of January, my birth month. It was typically a chilly day as I was in my office, a phone rang. It was from my university program coordinator. As I was going to receive the phone, a kind of wind blew in my mind, I felt like, why would he call me? It was the call that was going to announce a big birthday gift to me. The moment, my program coordinator uttered the words, Congratulations! Yogesh! You are selected to be one of the members to visit to Japan. I felt huh! I felt like really! It was quite a big sweet surprise! Like a surprise birthday party! may be more than that. I ended the call with a big ‘Thank you’ to him and looked above, remembered ‘Pashupatinath’ and my living lords, my parents and my family.

The travel began from the Tribhuwan International Airport. There were lots of question in my mind rather than anyone closet to me in the journey, lots of questions, curiosities accompanied and keep on tickling me, chiding me, exciting me until we reached to the Narita International Airport at about 6am in the morning. We were received by JICE staff at the airport and the sharp chilly winds of Tokyo. The first insight view of Tokyo city through bus was my first ever experience of Japan. The roads, the buildings, the bridges were something that knocked me from dream to the reality that I was in Japan and going to enjoy the wonderful travel. 

Our first visit was to Western Chiba Prefectural Disaster Prevention Centre. As I belong to the country where we just had a catastrophe earthquake in 2015, I was excited to know how Japanese are tackling with the natural disaster. In that center I got chance to experience 6.5 Richter scale artificial earthquake and we received disaster training. It seems to me that the prevention and action had now been firmly rooted in the Japanese lifestyle. I was amazed to see how Japanese people were working for the safety of their people as Japan is an island and they experience earthquakes frequently.

Next day, we got ample opportunities to know about the Japanese people, their lifestyle, industry and economy from an expert, Prof. Kimura. In Lion Chiba Plant, we observed how the detergent powder is manufactured in Japan and why it is the best. In Ozu Washi Handmade, we observed Japanese traditional paper similar to Nepali paper. It was interesting to know about the culture of Japan from Prof. earlier that day and later we experience it.

When I was small, I used to watch many cartoons and wish I could be like them, have powers like them and think how these characters are broadcasted on TV. I was blessed that my childhood dream came true when we went to NHK studio. There, we had lots of fun with our childhood characters.

The advancement and vivacity of technology in Japan overwhelmed me, anyone belonging to the poor country like ours, would definitely find himself in the dreamy world when been to Japan. The technology and advancement of Japan has that aura that can imprison the heart of anyone. Still in the overwhelmed situation, I wished someone could take me to a place, where I can experience the soul of technological environment. To be like boon granted I was taken to the Mirakan, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. For an engineer, this is the heaven where I could find the cutting –edge technology of Japan. Real-time displays of astronomical and seismological data and Asimo, the Honda robot is one of the star attractions, which I can never forget about. This robot could do anything from normal motion to playing everything. Looking at the robot from the point of view of electronics engineer and grasping the complication of the hardware and coding that has behind it was unnerving. The feeling after being acquainted with the place is something any words could describe. I was extremely happy but in one corner, I felt a deep missing. Renowned as the oldest country in SAARC, the land of MT. Everest, the land of Lord Buddha, most of all, the land of brave Gurkhas, my country is technology so behind.

After Mirakan visit, we were excited to visit Nagasaki, the city that, suffered an allied nuclear attack in 1945. On the way to Nagasaki, I enjoyed sharing my photos in social media using Internet facility on air inside JAL Airlines. In these two hours of flight, we saw the beautiful scared mountain Mt.Fuji. One of the Airhostesses proudly told us that it is the tallest mountain in Japan and it is the most photographed Mountain all over the world, I understood the advertisement propaganda. Undoubtedly, Mt.Fuji, is spellbinding and beautiful but as the country’s son, I made a comparison between the Mt Sagarmatha and Mt Fuji. MT fuji which has the altitude of 3776m is the most photographed one and considered the most beautiful mountain in the world, if they would have Mt Sagarmatha in their land probably they would make the largest part of their economy by selling and popularizing the charismatic, breathtaking beauty of Mt Sagarmatha. We Nepalese are like a saying in Nepali “maal payera chaal napaeko” not being able to find out value of worthy things and fighting for cringe and unworthy things.

Another wonderful place to visit was Melco Advanced Device Corporation, semiconductor-manufacturing industry, a member of well-known Mitsubishi electric. We found how the optical devices were manufactured. These are things that have made possible to achieve the technology advancement. When people would talk about Japan, the first thing that would come in my mind is, Nagasaki. I had heard different tales related to it. When I came to the 10th grade, the course prescribed the history of Nagasaki. I had known how determined, dedicated and true patriots, Japanese were. Since then there was an awe and deep appreciation to Japanese soldiers and people, Only after the atomic bomb, the curse of human innovation when fell upon Nagasaki the second world war had come to an end. After knowing that we were on to visit the place, I was recalling the history and feeling it live. The excitement knew no limitation when we stepped in the land of Nagasaki after two hours flight. We visited Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Nagasaki Peace Park. Once we went there, we got to know that how the people of Japan stood by all the critical hours and rebuild their country after the disastrous attack. It is an inspiration to all Nepali and people all over the world. There was a time, not only human shivered and felt suffocated even plants feared to be germinated. Frankly speaking, when I went there nature was smiling at me and felt like asking did you find any trace of fierceness of 1945 august 9, despite of the chilly cold my answer was like ‘no’. Though my answer was no there at the park’s north end, the 10-meter tall peace statue created by sculptor Seibo Kitamura of Nagasaki Prefecture was telling the tale. The statue’s right hand pointed to the threat weapon while the extended left hand symbolized eternal peace. The mild faces symbolized divine grace and the gently closed eyes offered a prayer for the response of the bomb victim’s souls. The folded right leg and extended right leg signified both meditation and the initiative to stand up and rescue the people of the world. The statue represents a mixture of western and eastern art, religion, and ideology. The museum was there disseminating the reality devastating effects of A-bomb and conveying the prayer for peace. The greenery that envelops Nagasaki taught me that if we do hard labor we could develop anything from something monstrous.

Next thing of my priority was my interest in, was to know the education system of Japan. We got golden opportunity to meet the Professor in Nagasaki University and receive lecture from him about communication engineering. Our next destination was Simbara Castle, built by Matukura Shigemasa, the Feudal Lord of Bungo region in around 1618 and samurai residential area in Shimabara city located west side of outside of Shimbara Castle. We learned diverse aspects of Shimabara from a large collection of sculpture works. It shows as that Japan is filled with technological advancement along with huge historical and cultural importance.

Finally, the highlight of the Japan visit was to come ahead. We had never been to the program of ‘Homestay’. We were really excited, further more curious to know how a typical home of japan is like? Inquisitive as my nature is, I was curious and making comparative imagination…between a typical Nepali family and Japanese. We, Nepalese economically poor but rich by heart is known in the world for our hospitality and generosity of hear a question arose in my mind, could Japanese excel in hospitality like Nepalese? My friend Sathithaha Fernando from Srilanka and I was selected to stay with MR. and Mrs. Hyugya. Before going to the home, I was worried how the families will be. What would they offer? Would they offer Nepalese friendly food? Mr. Yonesaku Hyugya came to pick us and took to his house. We stayed two nights and three days and I admit with pleasure! They were one of the best days of my Japan visit. We were warmly welcomed by them and offered the best food they could I was happy and felt to be like at my home when I was offered rice in my plate. I got a glimpse of Japanese way of fooding. Unlike us they prepare food absence of spices and give emphasis to soup. The reason of their longevity is their discipline in fooding. Here in Nepal, people do not have discipline in eating. They prefer spicy and fried food so most of the Nepalese at their 40s are either the patient of diabetes or high blood pressure. There was balance in the food, which we need to learn from them. Mr. Hyugya took us to the park and we visited a candle industry where I made a candle by myself. The weather at that time was cold and snowing and I got chance to play with snow also. Mr. Hyugya was Prosthodontist and had a workshop in his own home which inspired to be an entrepreneurship. One thing what I cannot forget is my friend Sathithaha who was a piano artist who made my day more remarkable and worthy of memorizing by his mind-blowing and heart touching music. Later on we attended farewell party parties are always full of life and fun but farewell party is always something gloomy even though after the party, we expressed our sincere gratitude to our host family for their wonderful hospitality and shared our experience with other fellows and families. We performed a peaceful song “Fulko Akhama…” to give them our touch.I wished to be there for more days but our schedule was previously fixed.

It was sad that our wonderful journey was going to end as we went back to Tokyo and went to the venue of closing ceremony where everyone presented his or her action plans. We received certificates for the completion of JENESYS2016 and finally we left for the airport as I was leaving I felt my heart and mind heavy. Heart was heavy because in a very short span of time Japanese made us feel probably we are one of them. The hospitality the vivacity of technology, firm system, and bind by rules was not bidding farewell to me. I was greatly influenced and overwhelmed by Japan and its majesticity and kept wishing if all these would be in my motherland. My mind was heavy because in some dozen of days I had learnt amass thing I found the visit fruitful more than my expectation. With heavy heart and heavy mind watching the breath taking and wonderful view of Tokyo site from bus that is something I shall never forget. It will remain in my heart forever igniting me exciting me.