Great Buddha in Japan Nippon, the name of Japan in Japanese, is translated as the Land of the Rising Sun. It is a country in East Asia comprising over 6,800 islands, of which 430 are inhabited. The five main islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. Honshu is the largest and most populous island with the capital Tokyo and other large cities located on it. As per Worldometer, the current population of Japan is 126.6 million and it ranks 11th in the world on population, with population density of 347 per km2. About 92% of popula-tion live in urban areas. It ranks 61st on total area. Shinto and Buddhism are the main religions in Japan. Shinto developed as an indigenous religion and in many respects, its practices are similar to those in Hinduism. Natural objects such as the Sun, Moon, Earth, Fire, Air, Mountains, Rivers and Spirit of deceased persons are venerated as deities in Shinto. The Holy Kojiki is the sacred book of Shinto religion. It was written in 712AD and is also known as the Records of Ancient Matters. It contains legends relating to Creation of various deities and Japanese islands, Creation of humans and other living things. The Japanese emperor is believed to be a direct descen-dent of deities. Shinto’s sacred buildings are termed Shrines. They are identified with a specially designed gate, known as Torii, in front of them. Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea in midsixth century. To strengthen its alliance with Japan, a Korean king presented a statue of Buddha, along with a letter highlighting the importance of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, to the Japanese Emperor. Impressed by the teachings of Buddha, and his international standing, Buddhism was accepted as a state religion in Japan by the Emperor. Its status was further enhanced dur-ing the Tang dynasty rule in China, which had imported sacred Buddhist texts from India, and shared them with the Japanese Imperial palace. Subsequently, Shinto and Buddhism complemented each other in Japan. Many Japanese people worship Shinto deities as well as Buddha. Normally, it is believed that Shinto fulfils the requirements of the current life, where as Buddhism takes care of the afterlife. Japan was devastated by two atomic bombs during the Second World War. Over a short period of time, it recovered and rebuilt the nation. Now, it is the third largest economy based on gross domestic product. Japan is the only Asian country categorised as a devel-oped nation of the world. Its achievements are a source of inspiration for others. A number of fascinating
sites in Japan, with natural beauty, including mountains, lakes and hot water springs, temples, shrines, parks, museums, monuments and castles attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. My wife Sudha and I recently visited Japan, which was a memorable experience. Our trip started in Tokyo. Tokyo, with a population over 13 million, is one of the largest cities in the world. The city was known as Edo in earlier times, and it became the capital of Japan in 1868. Narita and Haneda are its major international airports. Narita is located about 60 km away from To-kyo and takes over an hour by train or fast bus to the city. Public transport, especially metro, is convenient to use, as stations and directions are clearly marked in both Japanese and English. A number of Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, parks, monuments, highrise buildings, museums and shopping complexes are located in the city. The Games of the XXXII Olympiad, also known as Tokyo 2020, is an upcoming major international sport event in Tokyo. Meiji-Jingu is a popular Shinto Shrine located within a large forested ground that contains over 120,000 trees collected from around Japan. The Shrine is dedicated to spirits of Em-peror Meiji and Empress Shoken, who are venerated as deities. Emperor Meiji’s reign continued from 1867 to 1912 and during that period Japan transformed into a dominant industrialised nation. All visitors to the Shrine perform a special cleaning ritual that in-volves washing of hands and mouth with fresh water especially arranged at the entrance to the shrine. Senso-Ji is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, which was first built in around 628 AD. Huge crowds visit the site daily. A large shopping precinct is located in front of the temple, where various items of interest are sold to tourists and pilgrims. A five-storey pagoda is also located near the temple. Tokyo Sky Tree is the world’s tallest freestanding tower, 634m high. A huge multistorey shopping centre is located in the Sky Tree complex. The Sky Tree has two observation decks at 350m and 450m, which are open to the public. The Sky Tree is clearly visible from the Senso-Ji temple.
22 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, March, 2020
Shibuya Crossing, located near Shibuya Metro Station, demonstrates the hectic movement of people across the city. During a single traffic light change, over 13,000 people have been recorded to cross the road at this crossing. Imperial Palace and Imperial Palace East Garden are other tourist attractions. The Palace and Garden are surrounded by a wide moat filled with water. Entry to them is through special security checks. Entry to the Palace needs to be arranged in advance, whilst the East Garden can be visited anytime during its opening hours. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is a high-rise building. It has an observation deck on the 45th floor. From the deck, one has a 360-degree view of Tokyo and on a clear day, Mount Fuji is visible from there. Access to the deck is free. A large park with monu-ments and waterfalls is located near this building From Tokyo we travelled to Fujikawaguchiko, which is one of the towns at the foothills of Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji is considered a well-known Symbol of Japan. It is located 160km or around 2 hours by road from Tokyo. It is a sacred site in Shinto religion and many local pilgrims as well as local and international tourists visit the mountain, to worship and admire its elegance and grandeur. During winter, tracks to climb the Mount Fuji summit are closed. A view of Mount Fuji is considered an essential component of a trip to Japan. Fujikawaguchiko is also a base for visiting Fuji Five Lakes. Tourist buses run various loops to these lakes from Fujikawaguchiko station. Clear views of Mount Fuji were visible from various locations in the area including from our hotel room. Mount Fuji can be visited as a day trip from Tokyo. Japan is well known for Shinkansen or Bullet Trains. Bullet trains are fast trains that run over separate tracks that connect major towns and cities. On major routes like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima, a number of bullet trains run every hour. From Fujikawaguchiko, we travelled by bus to Mishima station, which is en route of Shinkansen connecting Tokyo to Kyoto. It takes about an hour from Mishima to Kyoto by Shinkansen.
Kyoto became the capital of Japan in 794AD and remained so until 1869AD when the Em-peror’s residence moved to Tokyo. Kyoto is famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. UNESCO has listed many of the ancient temples and shrines as World Heritage Sites. Kinkaku-Ji temple, also know as golden temple, and Ginkaku-Ji temple or Silver temple are popular Buddhist temples. Kinkaku-Ji temple has its top two stories covered with gold leaf. In addition, there are many other temples spread across Kyoto. Fushimi Inari Taisha is the most important Shinto Shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be messengers of Inari. Their statues can be seen across the shrine ground. In the Inari complex, hundreds of red coloured Toriis are built along a path leading to a mountain peak. Fruits, flowers, grains and wines are offered to Shinto deities. Nara, a town close to Kyoto, was the capital of Japan before Kyoto. It is famous for Bud-dhist temples, Shinto shrines and Nara Park. It can be visited from Kyoto as a day trip. Regular trains connect Kyoto to Nara. Major tourist sites are within walking distance from the railway station. Todai-ji is a renowned Buddhist temple complex located in Nara Park. It was originally founded in 738AD and opened in 752AD. Its Great Buddha Hall, also known as Daibutsuden, houses the world’s largest Bronze statue of the Great
Buddha, known in Japanese as Daibutsu. Fire and rebels had destroyed the original structure a number of times in the past. The current building was completed in 1709AD and is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. The temple’s museum displays historic items and statues of ancient Indian deities such as Suryaprabha, Chandraprabha, Sahastrabhuj, Shakyamuni and Dhritrastra. It also shows films about the history of the temple. A replica of the Emblem of India the Lion Capital and a pillar symbolising the Ashok’s Pillar of Sarnath are installed in the temple complex. Kofuki-Ji is another Buddhist temple, and Kasuga Taisha is a Shinto shrine in Nara Park. Nara Park is famous for freely roaming deer. Deers are considered sacred and believed to be messengers of deities according to Shinto tradition. They are found in temple areas and are a huge attraction for visitors. From Kyoto, we travelled to Hiroshima. It is also called the City of Water. Six rivers flow through the city. The first atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Monday, 6 August 1945, killing thousands of people instantaneously. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum displays scenes of devastation caused by the atomic attack. In the Peace Memorial Park, Children’s Peace Monument, Flame of Peace, Cenotaph and other monuments remind visitors of the horrors caused by the atomic bomb. Miyajima is a small island famous for its floating Torii. In a day trip from Hiroshima, we visited the island, which is
about 30 minutes by train and then by ferry to the Island. The torii/gate looks like it is floating during the high sea. Itsukushima-jinja is a Shinto Shrine constructed on pillars over the seawater, close to the floating torii. It comprises a number of buildings. On the way to the hills from the seashore, there is a huge Buddhist temple named Daisho-in. It is accessed by a steep climb over a series of steps. The temple contains numerous large and small statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. From Hiroshima we travelled to Osaka, the third largest city in Japan. It is a port city and commercial centre. In addition to museums and shopping arcades, Osaka Castle is the main historical tourist attraction. Kansai International Airport is the nearest international airport in Osaka. It is located on an island and is connected by road to Osaka via a bridge. Osaka was our last destination in Japan, and from there, we returned home to Brisbane. There are many things we witnessed or experienced in Japan that seem unique to the Japanese people and culture. Cleanliness of private and public spaces is notable. People are polite and willing to help when asked. The Japanese tend to converse quietly in public places such as while travelling on trains and buses. The practice of bargaining or haggling is discouraged in shops. There is no need to provide tips for services. The influence of Indian culture in Japanese spiritual practices can be observed through Buddhism and the Sanskrit origin of many Japanese words. Awadhesh Sharma