Why Japan?

As I’m sat here in a cosy cottage in Wales nestled in the Wye Valley, admiring the wonder and natural beauty of the landscape around me, I can’t help but reflect on the similar wonders that attracted me to Japan in the first place. Now a question I’ve been asked more times than I can count, whenever I’ve mentioned over the years that I’m planning on travelling to Japan in the foreseeable future, “Why Japan? A simple question at first glance, and yet every time the question has been asked I’ve shrugged it off and mumbled some combination of “The landscape”, “The nerd culture”, “The crazy technology”, never really being able to concisely answer on the spot. So, with some time, thought and discussion with Hannah I’ve tried to pin down the answer and put it on paper.

Was it the discovery of Anime and Manga as a young man? The tales of technology the likes of which are only seen in sci-fi movies? Or maybe the unique and bold culinary delights they have to offer? It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that has attracted me to the land of the rising sun for so many years, but I’ve endeavoured to pick apart my brain to find the answer. As a young teen, picking up my brother’s copy of chapter 1 of Bleach (A popular manga series in both Japan and around the world, if you’re not familiar with Manga, picture a black and white comic book, only you read it from back to front) I couldn’t help but fall in love with the story of a 17-year-old boy that could see and interact with ghosts, gaining otherwordly powers and using them for good. Going on to watch the animated show based on the events of the manga, I entered into a world of gripping storytelling and stunning artwork, with thousands of different manga and anime stories to delve into, though I only tended to stick to a few of the more mainstream and popular stories. Even now, Japan’s incredibly talented storywriters create wonderous tales that can tug on heartstrings, or inspire and motivate a person, with all the genius of Hollywood’s finest film writers while showing off animated artwork, every frame of which wouldn’t look amiss in an art gallery. I can’t say if this was my first introduction to Japanese culture (if only a small part of it). Still, this medium had a draw that hooked me and left me wanting to find out more about the country it had originated from.

As I’m sure many people have, I’ve always wondered what it would have been like growing up in another country, would the situation have changed how I, as an adult turned out? Or would I fundamentally remain the same? Japan’s culture is steeped in respect for those above your station, be it older members of your family, superiors in your job, or those in a place of power such as the Emporer himself. Now while I don’t fully agree, personally believing that respect is earned despite your position, I also believe having a strong sense of respect for anyone around you, rather than just those above you, can only make you a stronger and better person. I’ve always been fascinated by the country’s ability to keep order and respect a top priority for the population, something that unfortunately isn’t seen as commonly in the UK, and have wondered how well I would fit in in such an environment. Would I find myself paying more attention to being respectful to those around me? Or would I struggle in a place of well-defined order, feeling like I had no freedom at risk of my actions offending?

Studying Geology at University opened my eyes to the incredible events that take place on our planet every day on a scale hard to imagine: the earth moving and colliding beneath our very feet, magma boiling up from below and forming entirely new swathes of land, colossal glaciers carving out great ravines into that land. Where exactly can you find all of these events taking place in one country? I’ll give you one guess. Is it any wonder I’ve been drawn to a place of such wonder and excitement? The idea of travelling through vast regions of volcanic mountains and the range of geological features produced by that sort of activity fills me with joy! Also mild terror…

As this has become a very long post, and is a topic I could very much talk about at great length and would love to explore more in the future, I’ll wrap up for now with a promise of future updates. Thanks for reading!

Ed