The Japanese Way: Part 2

Japanese love nature and enjoy the beauties of nature. They are very sensitive towards nature in its pure, original form and feel very sentimental about it. I noticed these very deep and strong feelings of Japanese when I climbed Mount Fuji. The Japanese climb Mount Fuji in the month of June because it is a dry month without rains. Mount Fuji is given great respect in Japanese culture. It is considered a holy mountain. The climb to the peak which is 3776 meters in height is not very vertical. It is steep and one can climb without any mountaineering gadgets. It was very hot and humid at the base of the mountain but as we climbed higher, the weather became pleasant and cool. There are resting stations after every short distance of climb so that the climbers could rest and relax before starting the next phase.  As we climbed higher the overall view became more and more beautiful. I forgot to mention that we started the climb in the evening to see the sunset from the mountain. I still remember the beautiful sunset I experienced from one of the stations of Mount Fuji. The view was awesome indeed. It was a whole-night’s climb so we were not to fatigue ourselves unnecessarily.  The resting stations had all the facilities of food and relaxing equipment. As we climbed higher and higher, the night became darker and darker. The stars and the moon were very clearly visible. The overall atmosphere was full of magic and mystery. There was a long trail of people who had come from all over the world to climb this holy and unique mountain. At every resting station there was steaming hot traditional Japanese food with specialized drinks to energize one for the onward climb. The weather became very cool rather cold and we had to take out our heavy jackets to protect ourselves against the cold winds. Please note that there are buses that can take you up to certain height. But we started climbing from the first base station. There are a total of ten stations. The tenth station is nothing but the peak of the mountain.  The aim of the climbers is to reach the peak just before the day-break. To view the sunrise is the ultimate aim and we were lucky to have made that. I cannot find words to describe the awesome and immortal beauty of the sunrise we saw from the peak of Mount Fuji. The glorious scene is indescribable. The Japanese people, as I said earlier, are very sensitive to the beauties of nature. This scenic view being so sentimentally beautiful, takes the people into a state of ecstasy so deep that they feel that it is useless to stay alive after that and they commit suicide at that point. There are news reports of young couples committing suicide just at that point. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. I never saw nature in such beautiful form in my life.

Mount Fuji is a volcanic mountain but the crater has been dead since long. When we reached the top of the mountain, it was really very cold. I walked round the crater. The top of the mountain is dry and rugged. There is no plantation and growth because of the severe weather. It was very windy and severely cold weather at the top of the peak. We stayed there for a very short time and decided to climb down. The decent was very easy and fast. It was a very fine and solid experience to climb Mount Fuji.  It was a memorable experience. I liked the Japanese way of climbing Mount Fuji.

It is said that if you have been to Japan and have not seen the cherry trees in blossoms then you have missed something really marvelous. When I was a student of junior high school I read a poem about cherry tree written by Housman. I had never seen a cherry tree. It was my first experience of looking at a tree loaded with cherry blossoms for the first time in Japan. It was an amazing experience. The chartered bus was to depart at 10 am. It was a stormy day full of thunder and shower. I called my tour organizer if the tour was confirmed. She said it was a confirmed tour because the weather will be clear and sunny by the time we depart. It was amazing to see the weather clearing up so accurately. Japanese have a very sensitive and sharp observation regarding the cherry blossom. They know exactly what day and time the cherry tree will come into bloom. We went to the foot of Mount Fuji where cherry tree was to bloom that day. Wow! It was an awesome view. The cherry trees were clad in white glorious garments. I had never ever seen such fabulous sight before. Hats off to Japanese; they love nature and the nature loves them.

I cannot forget the Japanese tea ceremony. It is indeed a full-fledged meditational practice. The entire process is a test of patience, concentration and politeness. The tea room is a special room very simply and frugally decorated with flowers and traditional Japanese paintings. In Japanese language the tea is called Chanoyu, Sado or Ocha. The tea ceremony, ‘o-temae’, is celebrated as a ritual. The host is a trained and qualified female who undergoes years of training and study of the meditational ritual. Every movement of the ceremony is performed with ultimate accuracy right from the entrance of guests, handling of the tea utensils, holding the tea cups and drinking the tea. Since the green tea powder, used for making tea is very bitter, special traditional Japanese sweets are offered to guests to be eaten after every sip. The guests and the host speak to each other or give comments in very soft voice. The entire ritual makes you feel relaxed and at peace.

The theme of my study in Japan was very interesting and exciting. It was research in the area of Biofeedback and behavior management. I studied prayer therapy and meditational practices of various faiths specifically the prayer techniques of Zen Buddhist monks. Buddhism and Shintoism have tremendous influence on the overall psychology of Japanese people. Different schools of Buddhism have different meditational practices which they diligently follow in order to attain Nirvana. These days, it’s more a technique of relaxation of mind and body than Nirvana or, perhaps, nirvana is when you are at peace within yourself and with the environment. A typical Zen meditation session lasts about an hour in which the practitioners or trainees sit cross-legged on a small cushion facing a blank wall. They are instructed to look very passively at the wall shunning all the thoughts away trying to keep their minds blank. A monk, holding “keisaku”, a long flat wooden stick walks around the room monitoring that nobody gets drowsy during the session. Anyone in a state of drowsiness gets a whack on his shoulder to wake him up. It is really very interesting to see that the person who gets the whack bows to the monitor in an expression of thanks. The monitor monk also bows down to him thanking him. The slap doesn’t hurt much. It’s just a signal to train mind and body to remain alert while in a passive relaxation state. This training technique is a perfect example of behavior management. The scientific methods of relaxation and meditation developed by mind scientists are derived from such very rich ancient spiritual philosophies.

This does not mean that Japan is a society dominated by religions. Religion has nothing to do with Japan’s state or the political life. But it’s very interesting to see how they respect various religions. As I have mentioned earlier, two religious philosophies have profoundly influenced the overall psyche of Japanese people i.e. Buddhism and Shintoism. Nevertheless, one finds some Japanese people practicing Christianity or even Islam. But the beauty of the nation is that, no matter what religion one follows, they are all Japanese. They are true patriots who love their country with passion and dedication.

Japan is a country of festivals. Throughout the year there are varieties of festivals which are celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor. The festivals are very colorful with loads of sets, decorations and props. There is singing, dancing and drinks. The Japanese like to drink. Their evenings are spent in traditional Japanese bars or restaurants where they drink ‘Sake’ a traditional Japanese wine made of rice. They like to eat noodles with a slurp. The Japanese traditional bars are absolutely different from the bars one finds in the West. Their bars are very calm and quiet where the bar-maid sits and listens to the guest with great attention. She serves the guests with their choice drink, plays the traditional musical instrument and sings a song. She is skilled in very politely discussing various topics of current affairs. The guest leaves after making the payment, without any tip of course because there is no tip in Japan. The same guest may visit that particular bar some other day and his bottle of wine will be there waiting for him with his name written on it. He will receive the same hospitality but, this time, without paying anything because he has paid for it already. This is Japanese way of hospitality in bars.

Japan is a male dominated society. In a traditional Japanese house, the master of the house is given great honor upon his return after the day’s job. The wife comes and bows down upon her knees touching her forehead to the floor; she removes husband’s shoes, helps him remove his coat and welcomes him into the house. Even the guests who accompany the husband get the same kind of welcome. I visited the house of a friend and felt much embarrassed when my friend’s wife bowed down on her knees to welcome me. I didn’t know how to respond to her gesture. I must say the Japanese are great people full of humility, gratitude, honesty and professionalism. This is probably the reason that they have won the credibility and respect in the world market.