They rely heavily on their extensive subway and rail systems to commute to and from work, so their train stations operate at a significantly higher volume than anything you or I would ever experience in Canada, even at it's peak I read that Toronto's Union Station accommodates about 200 000 passengers a day. Shinagawa Station accommodates on average 1million commuters a day, and over 1.2million people pass through Tokyo Station in any given day, being Tokyo's main hub with over 3000 subway, JR line, and Shinkansen trains making stops there.
So imagine that kind of volume in North America. I don't know about you, but all that comes to mind when I try to picture that many people trying to catch a train here is madness. Complete and utter chaos. But in Japan, that is not the case. Even during the quake, people were obviously confused and concerned but even through everything that was going on, they were calm, organized, and methodical. In the 5+ hours it took us to walk from Asakusa to Shinagawa, we saw more and more people evacuated from their buildings and flooding out of the closed train stations, all of them forced out into the streets of Tokyo. Even then, with likely 4 million people trying to get home, there was still no evidence of chaos. Line-ups for busses spanned entire city blocks, 1000 people long, but the displaced commuters waited patiently, without pushing and shoving, resigned to wait their turn in line knowing that they were all in the exact same situation.
All of these examples of Japanese culture only solidifies my respect for their customs. I was constantly in awe of how strong, poised, and proud they are in every aspect of their lives.
I think my visit to Mount Fuji was a pivotal point in our trip. I said in an earlier post that standing up on that mountain, I felt entirely insignificant. And I don't mean that in a negative way, it was more so that my problems and worries seemed so far away compared to what was going on all around me as I stood up there 2020m above sea level, staring out at the countryside from halfway up the tallest mountain in Japan... I gained a sense of perspective that I hope I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I talked to a lot of friends before I left for Japan, and they all kept telling me that I was going to get there and that I would feel the spirits of my ancestors all around me, that I would fill the missing void in my life that I might not have even known was missing in the first place. I won't lie, a small part of me rolled my eyes and thought "yeah, right..." But I understand that now. It wasn't a 'Eureka' moment where I felt a sudden rush of Japanese spirit, that only happens when I drink sake. Instead, I don't think it even hit me until I came home, and I realized that the reason I felt so safe and so secure there was because I felt like I was a part of the very fabric of Japan herself. I felt a sense of belonging there that I only ever feel in a handful of other places in the world (the JCCC being one of them). And it wasn't because I felt like my ancestors had embodied my spirit or anything like that, I just saw so much of myself in the people around me, and so much of my family in them too. I felt connected to them through cultural similarities that I never knew existed, and at that moment I finally understood why the JCCC's motto is "friendship through culture". I might be 4th Generation Canadian but I am very much a JAPANESE-Canadian at heart. It may have taken me 25 years to fully appreciate it but the important thing is that I have finally embraced that part of my life that has laid dormant for so long and I never want to give it up.
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| Mom and I at Haru Matsuri at the JCCC, March 5/11 |
I am so proud of you Kristin for taking your time to say exactly what you are thinking, and to have it come straight from your heart. I know how difficult it was for you emotionally to articulate what it was like to discover a part of your japanese soul in Japan, only to be forced to leave a bit of it behind as you felt that you needed to return home. But all who love you are so relieved you are safe and sound, including me. Although I trusted your judgment to do what you felt you needed to do, the motherly instinct in me was hoping you would choose to come back. But knowing that you plan to return in the near future makes me happy that you can continue on your dream vacation, only this time with a different and life altering perspective. And good for you for encouraging others to join us in our fundraising efforts. At least that way, we will feel that we did our part in helping those in need.
ReplyDeleteI know you said Japanese people are calm, but you really should try catching the train during rush hour. Then you'd think you were back in TO. I get shoved around so much as more and more people try and pack themselves into the train. At least most of them are business people and therefore don't smell bad.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know what you mean about being here in Japan. It's totally foreign, I know I stick out like a sore thumb and watashi no nihongo ga warui desu, but ... it feels like I've lived here my whole life instead of only a month.
Sorry you had to leave so soon. But I'm glad you and your dad are safe. I miss you!!
Haha steph, have you encountered the "pushers" at the train stations yet? When we got off the train at Shinagawa the first time, we didn't know where we were going and there were just hundreds and hundreds of people streaming through the station in every direction. We couldn't have felt more foreign in that moment, lost and holding up traffic. Great lol.
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