We are in a Japan. Arrived in tokyo last night to cold chilly rainy weather but that has not reduced our enthusiasm to view the Sakura (cherry blossom) which we saw in great abundance today. Started the morning with a visit to the Meiji Shinto shrine. Buddhism and Shinto are the main religions of japan, both amalgamated wherein happy occasions are celebrated at Shinto shrines while sad are as per Buddhist rituals. The Meiji shrine worships nature and the ancestors , hence no diety. Sake the rice wine plays an important part in the rituals, hence the barrels of sake with the brewery displayed. The Meiji (emperor) who commissioned the shrine believed in globalisation over 100 years ago, hence French wine also plays an important part in the shrine rituals, hence the barrels of both sake and French wines The Sakura are everywhere in Tokyo, lining roads, in gardens and we spent most of the day soaking the beauty. It was quite magical. Our trip to Nikko was most rewarding. It is a little town in the mountains with lots of sakura trees on the way. It was a cold and windy day. The Toshugo Shinto shrine was stunningly beautiful. The monkeys representing the circle of life, from birth, childhood (when you are taught, hear, see, speak no evil. Was Gandhiji inspired from here) and it ends with a pregnant monkey and the beginning of a new life)

The next stop was Lake chuzenchi and the route was covered with snow, making the landscape truly awe-inspiring. Tokyo city scapes from an evening boatride Mount Fuji Celebrating the cherry blossom season with picnics with the blossoms all little up Hakone was wet and misty so the scenery was covered with mist, but views of the Pacific Ocean and the lake was great. But the best of all was a visit to the openair museum was out of this world. Saw lots of gorgeous sculpture, Henri Moore, Rodin, Picasso, lots of Japanese artists The Nijo castle, Kyoto, the home of the shogun who had all the military might. Various rooms decorated with Japanese pine being evergreen tall and wide symbolizing the permanence and the might of the shogun. One of the symbols on the walls were the tiger and the leopard. Was amused to learn that though they knew about the might and strength of the tiger, they had never seen a live tiger (only skins). They assumed that the animal with stripes was male and the one with spots was female. Kyoto is an extremely charming city, especially the old quarter. The lovely pagoda roofs, the temples, the shrines, the cobbled pathways and the Sakura added to the prettiness The Todaiji temple at Nara Park. The deer are considered sacred and roam free and are used to the crowds Visited a sake brewery museum, had sake flavored ice cream which was yummy Then there was a trip by cable car at Kobe. The most beautiful herbal and flower garden I have ever seen. The air was so fragrant with the perfume of herbs and flowers, the mountains sakuras had their own special perfume. It was magical. The view of Kobe harbour was a feast for the eyes The Himeji castle surrounded by sakuras was an ethereal experience and of unimaginable beauty We are at Hiroshima, the cherry blossom are fading signifying the transience of our lives but their memories will remain in our hearts forever. The day began with a visit to the Miyajima island in a ferry boat and a visit to the shrine there. At high tide, the shrine seems to be floating in water. Deer roam freely and are most friendly After that it was a visit to the Atomic bomb dome (this was once a convention centre and close to the centre where the bomb was dropped, but still survived as the bomb was dropped directly from above it, though dilapidated The Hiroshima peace park was a soul stirring experience. The target was this bridge because it was visible from above, but fell on a children's hospital. One two year old child survived. And died when she was 8 with Leukemia on account of radiation. A fundraiser was started to build a memorial of children who died in the name of this little girl, Sadako Sasaki. She made a 1000 paper cranes initially and the memorial is surrounded by millions of paper cranes and additional are added all the time The memorial flame, was lit in 1968 and will remain till the world is rid of all nuclear armaments. Will we ever see that day The cenotaph contains the names of all persons who have died in Hiroshima on account of the bomb and the radiation. There are 3 generations, the 1st who are now in their 80s and the 2nd and the 3rd who are still suffering the effects of radiation from the bomb. More deaths are added every year and their names added to the book in the cenotaph. About 3.5 lakhs have so far died If you zoom in a bit you can see the cenotaph, the flame and the dome all in a straight line. A visit to the Museum was a most upsetting experience. Revealed the tragic tales of ordinary people, elderly, children. It was truly harrowing. Incidentally there was a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Peace park, unfortunately I could not get a picture as we quickly drove past and could not stop. The guide also told us that Pandit Nehru was the first foreign dignitary to visit Hiroshima after the bombing. The others were too scared of the radiation. The guide also told us about Justice Radhabinod Pal who gave a dissenting judgment during the Tokyo trials. He is quite venerated in japan. There is a memorial to him in Kyoto which we only came to know about much later. So much havoc, so much destruction, yet Japan has moved on with no ill will to USA. Will we ever learn from them and stop our Aurangzeb obsession Undoubtedly Japan is a most beautiful country. It's squeaky clean, no slums anywhere. There are systems in place everywhere and everything works with clockwork precision. But the best part of Japan are the people. There is a quiet dignity about them. I did not encounter a single rude person. Always smiling, always helpful. Their honesty and integrity is evident. My sister once discovered that her money purse was missing from her handbag. We were in a flurry. Asked at the reception counter of our hotel in tokyo and sure enough it was handed over to her. An employee found it in the lobby where she must have dropped it. In another incident while coming from the railway station to our hotel in Osaka, the taxi driver by mistake overshot or took a wrong turning so had to make an extra detour. He immediately switched off the taxi meter so we were not charged for the extra drive. I doubt if this kind of integrity can be found anywhere else. Visiting Japan has indeed been a unique experience. Tomorrow we leave for south korea.