all the same

Being in Japan as a Westerner can feel like being on another planet entirely at first glance. When it comes to language barriers, Japan (and other asian countries) take on a whole new meaning. Travelling throughout other continents, we can at least make out some of the language as the alphabets are more or less the same as our own. Yet when confronted with the entirely different symbols and characters of the Japanese language, I start to understand what it must be like to be illiterate. I start to really feel disconnected and isolated from the setting in which I find myself.

 Only after getting out and exploring that I stop feeling as disconnected.  On a leisurely stroll along a riverbank in Tokyo city, I stumble across this group having a wonderful, active afternoon.  I know I am in Japan but I can't help but to see my Portuguese great-grandparents in their backyard as they square up for their next croquet shot.

 Later while visting Kyoto city, I take another quiet moment to look around and see this older gentleman taking a much needed rest.  I start to ask myself "How do you say siesta in Japanese?"  And again, I know I am in Japan but now I see my own father having a lay down in the sun along the Californian mountainside somewhere....What is going on here?

As I see traces of my own family who have never even set foot on this side of the world, I am humbly reminded that no matter the language, no matter the country, at the end of the day we are all the same.

what they once were

Merchant fleets from long ago passed through the "Floating" Torii upon reaching the shores of Miyajima, Japan.  The shrine would indicate to oncomers that they were approaching a sacred place and to proceed with care and caution.

Now it is one of the most photographed sights in all of Japan, proving to be a tourist marvel of giant proportion. 

After making their way inland, a few parcels of merchants' wares from far off lands would find themselves in remote parts such as along this feudal trade highway from Tsumago to Magome.  All items were strategically packed to be strapped on backs and carried by foot from one village to another.

After the advent of modern railways, however, the merchant highway lost its utility and purpose.  Like the Torii, the Tsumago-Magome road and villages now serve as  prominent tourist attractions.

Technology and times change, and we must continuously adapt, indeed.  Yet, the marvels and wonders of our predecessors must be remembered for what they once were as well as what they will come to be.