Saturday October 20, 2007: My Day Off

I slept in this morning until 7 am…felt great. I mapped out my day at breakfast and set off for Yasukuni Shrine first. (We will talk about this famous shrine during our unit on Shinto and it will come up again in your final exam scenarios.) Yasukuni Shrine was built in 1869 to honor those who fought on behalf of the emperor. Among the war dead enshrined here are convicted war criminals from World War II. Therefore, former Prime Minister Koizumi’s annual visits to the shrine created much tension with China and Korea, countries that were both imperialized by Japan in the 20th century. After walking through 3 torii, I entered the large wooden doors into the courtyard. The shrine was straight ahead and off to the side was an open stage on which 2 women were performing a martial art exhibit. I happened to go at a time when a ceremony was going on in the shrine so I was able to get a picture of the Shinto priests walking by. I went through the Yushukan, a war memorial museum right next to the shrine. It was small but interesting in the way its “military aggression in Asia is glossed over” (according to my Frommer’s Tokyo Guidebook).

I have to say that what I found most interesting was what I came across upon leaving the shrine grounds. Just outside the subway station, a group of Japanese men had set up a poster exhibit protesting a Chinese film on the Rape of Nanking that was going to be released soon. One of the men handed me a flyer in English (I’ll show you guys) and asked me, “How could the Japanese have committed such brutal acts when they were busy rebuilding the city?” I even told him that I was Chinese-American but it didn’t seem to faze him. He even urged me to log on to the recommended websites that would prove his point. The other posters included photographs of the seemingly friendly relationship between the Chinese and Japanese.

After visiting the shrine, I headed to the National Museum of Modern Art. I walked through the special exhibit, a retrospective exhibit of painter Ikuo Hirayama entitled "Pilgrimage for Peace." His works were divided into 4 chapters: "Yearning for Buddha," "The Route Xuanzang Traversed and the Spread of Buddhism in the East," "The Silk Road," and "Prayer for Peace." I purchased the exhibition catalogue to share with you guys.

After a quick lunch, I went to the highly recommended Tokyo National Museum (passing by Ueno Park on my way there) and only had enough time and energy to walk through 2 exhibits. The special exhibit featured beautifully displayed items from the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868) including samurai armor, scrolls, cosmetic cases, etc. I also purchased this exhibition catalogue to show you guys. Both of the special exhibits that I went to at the 2 museums were extremely crowded. The line of people at the Tokugawa exhibit was about 3 people deep so I didn't get as good a look as I had hoped. Needing a break, I went to the "Path of Buddha" exhibit in another part of the Tokyo National Museum which featured different styles of Buddha statues from India to Korea. With very sore feet, I returned to the hotel after the museum visits to pack for our week long stay in our host city of Himeji.