WONDERS OF THE MOMOCHI AREA

On 26th May 2022 the Rykuugakusei (International students), my Nihonjin classmates (Japanese classmates), and our History professor Ichiki Sensei visited the Momochi area in Fukuoka. It was a hot day and we walked a lot! Unlike India where you can find small vehicles to cover distances as far as 20 minutes, in Japan once you are out of a train or a bus you need to walk. I have never walked so much in life as I have done here. It surely made me realize that every country has its own perks. The taxis here are for the crazy rich, unlike the affordable uber(s) and ola(s) in India. 

                                   

First, we took the chikatetsu (subway) to the Momochi area. On the station itself, we could see posters of the longest-running show in Japan named Sazae-san. The show is about a woman Sazae-san and her family. The show airs on Japanese television every Sunday and is associated with the Sazae-san Syndrome or Sazae-san Shokugun. Due to the show being aired every Sunday evening it reminds people of the Monday blues that await them. Hence, after watching this show people generally feel blue. 

The Sazae-san memorial present in the Momochi area was built in the memory of the show's writer, Machiko Hasegawa, who was born in this region of Fukuoka.

                                     

Next, we headed to see the Genko Borui, or the Defence Walls built by the then-Japanese army as a defense against the Mongolian Invasions. The walls were discovered near what is now a private Christian University in Fukuoka called Seinan University. The walls have been very well preserved. These walls are 2.4 meters high and around 2 meters wide once covering the entire shoreline of the Sea of Japan for defense. The construction of the walls was led by the Kamakura Shogunate in 1275 to protect the city from the second Mangolian invasion (1281). The wall ruins have been discovered and restored in several regions of the city not only reflecting the rich defense history of the then Hakata region but also reflecting the contemporary efforts of the administration to preserve the rich history of Japan. 

Next, we had a chance to visit the Fukuoka City Museum. The museum building has a modern architectural layout and is spacious. One of the most or in fact, the most important things to see in the museum was the 'King of Na Gold Seal', Japan's very own national treasure. It is a very small gold seal that was once given by the then-Chinese emperor to Japan in 57 AD. This act of giving the gold seal is marked as the birth of Japan as a 'country'. Thus, it marks the recognition of Japan as a sovereign land. The then 'Han' dynasty of China gave the seal to the 'Wa' state of 'Na', where Wa is a region in Japan while Na is the ancient name of Japan. 

                               

The other things that caught my interest were the Nihon-go Spear and the capsule-like cell made of earthen clay to bury the dead. The Nihon-go spear is considered to be one of the three great spears of Japan. It was a beautiful experience watching it up-close. The spear looked magnificent as it was etched with beautiful carvings that added to its charm. The spear carries not only historical value but is also a testimony of the traditional art of Hakata. 

                                   

The trip to this museum gave me a broad idea of the international relationships that existed between Japan and the other countries during the ancient time. Many regions such as Kyushu also had their independent diplomatic projects that included merchants and monks as their ambassadors to the foreign lands. I was also mesmerized by the beautiful Hakata Dolls which are one of the cultural assets of Fukuoka. I cannot wait to buy some of these and bring them to India. 

Each trip gives me a chance to not only visit interesting places but also to have interesting conversations with people from other countries. How else would I have ever got to know that there are no trains or Mac Donald's in Iceland! or about the status of women in the society of the Philippines or about the elementary school kids walking alone to and from the school in Japan! 

While walking with Mei-chan, a classmate of mine, we talked about the movie 3 Idiots, Ayase Haruka, and the fact that India has different seasons so it is not hot throughout the year. Every time someone asks me until when I am in Japan, I begin feeling nostalgic. I want to stay here as much as I want to go back and talk to people in my own language and eat Indian food. I learn something or the other from my daily interactions with the people here but most of all I learn that there are no absolute value systems, there are no rules that apply to everyone, we all have different ways of living, and we all are so different...the way we communicate...the way we crack jokes...the things we talk about. It is indeed a challenge to understand the other person when you are unaware of their value systems. Those from the West use a lot of sarcasm while the Japanese generally do not understand sarcasm. Indians, I believe, lie somewhere in between. Some need a lot of words to communicate, and some communicate through silence. Maybe I will continue writing about this in some other blog. All in all the trip was just as nice as the preceding ones. 

Source of the image of the Seal: https://en-1056.site-translation.com/blog/archives/21 (since the picture I took was not very clear)