Japan Trip part 2

Movie extra walking between scenes in the gardens of Osaka Castle
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As I mentioned before I negotiated another day and stayed for a special festival being hosted by the area Osaka Dahn centers.   The funny thing about staying at the Dahn center is that I was visiting while two Korean masters were there too.  Like I mentioned before everyone in Japan speaks a little English and both Korean masters spoke a little as well, BUT The two Korean masters didnt speak Japanese and no one in Japan really knows Korean---- so, I was placed in the interesting postitiondidn'tlaying interpreter for my two Korean friends.  This couldn't have been more awkward considering my limited Korean.  But, it sure was funny!   Saturday Rachel, InSon and I wondered out on our own into the big bag city of Osaka.  We first went to the Osaka Castle.  Centered in the "mid town" of Osaka near the business and financial districts the castle was first built in 1496 was first built as a monks quarters and then was used as a main educational building and then defense center from other warring lords.  The temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times and each time displaying the great architectural beauty of the past and future. In one of the rebuilding a huge protective moat was installed and huge stone walls built.  The walls were built using the labor and resources of area feudal lords. The size of the donated rocks were determined by the yield in rice harvest for that year.  Each major war and conflict brought significant damage to the castle, since it became the city symbol of power and wealth.  After the major damage during WWII and then in 1950 due to typhoon Jane the city raised money to restore the ancient building and once again establish it as a land mark and city park.    The park is very impressive with expansive gardens and overlooks into the city.  When we were there there was a movie being filmed.  So all these guys running around in Shogun outfits and practicing military fight scenes.  That was pretty cool.  Saturday was SO COLD, so not too many people were out and about, so the temple has an eerie air to it especially as snow clouds and heavy winds picked up.  You could certainly feel the sense of great importance of the castle.  It was a very neat place.   We took refuge inside at the Osaka History Museum.  There we saw an impressive 4 floor display of Osaka over the course of history.  It was especially interesting to be there with my two Korean friends.  So much of the Japanese history is similar to Korean in that everyone in Japan at some point or another was Korean.  The painful thing is that Japan colonized Korea and occupied much of its land for a very long time.  During this time the Japanese made a point to not only make all Koreans more Japanese but also destroyed much of their landmarks, temples and history as they know it.  Being in the Osaka museum so much of the history was written with an air of originality on the parts of the Japanese, but my two Korean friends were quick to point out that many of the technology, art, design, architecture, clothing styles etc... came from Korea--- which in turn in some ways came from China.  Both the Korean and Japanese histories are so intertwined-- clearly both countries influenced each other--- but because Korea was the colonized country there is a huge "younger sibling" or "victim" complex going on. Clearly a lot of pain still being passed along here.   After the museum we stumbled into the Osaka International Center for Peace.  Considering the previous train of thought this was a welcomed and hopeful place to be.  Here the center had 3 exhibits.  Room A highlighted the effects of the US lead air raids on Osaka during WWII, which totally decimated this whole great city. I was shocked to learn that more than 14,000 tons of oil, toxins and explosives were dropped on the city totally burning every structure and citizen in site.  The population of Osaka before the air raids was nearly 2.5 million and at the end of the 80 day raid rampage just over 1 million citizens were left alive.  The exhibit gave a very descriptive horrors of Japan during the war and the living conditions that many citizens had to live in.  All of which were shocking.  Most impressive were a collection of writings, journals and children's art describing life during that time.  In one, a child described still being scared of sunrises and sunsets because the red sky brought flashbacks of everything around her burning.   Room B was dedicated to the Japanese aggressions and atrocities on other countries in the Asian-Pacific region.  Starting with the Manchurian incident and going through the end of WWII the exhibit showed the brutal and aggressive campaigns that the Japanese had in China, Mongolia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan etc....  A lot of these incidents I didn't know anything about.  The hardest and clearly the most atrocious were the colonization of Korea.  Similar to the colonization of many African countries-- Koreas were shipped to Japan and other countries to be used as slave labor in some of the hardest and most dangerous work conditions.  Many Koreas were shipped to the front lines only to fall first in forced military combats.  In Korea, Japanese rulers destroyed history, made Koreans change their names to Japanese names and forced them to learn Japanese in order to "civilize" them.  All of the language sounds very similar to the horrors of the Slave Trade in Africa.  The room was the hardest, but had a huge effect on me.   Room C highlighted movements since the end of the WWII that have moved the nation and worlds toward more peaceful time.  It was cool to see the display through the eyes of an Asian country and what marked great history for Japanese.    All in all the museum left a huge impression on me.  A symbol of peace coming from a city and country that historically was a home of aggression and violence abroad.  I thought the exhibits showed both sides of the debates and really pushed the limits of thinking about the mean of war and peace.  In its purpose it strives to show the atrocities of war and then remind the people of Osaka to commit themselves to a lasting peace.  It was a very powerful place to be and I am glad that I got the chance to go there.   My trip was highlighted by a huge Dahn festival Saturday night.  There we danced, sang and shared great food, love and energy.  Leaving the peace center I was touched by how universal the desire for peace is.  In the Dahn community we talk about HSP--- Health, Smile and Peace. TO be truly happy to need all three of these things.  At the festival I was struck with how no one really understood what I was saying, but HSP is a language that we all understand.  All people want to be happy and all people want to live in peace--- those things can happen with HSP.    Leaving Japan I witness a total white out of Osaka from the sunny side of the harbor.  I was reminded how beautiful snow is and how beautiful winter can be--- it really does bring people closer together.    Much love and peace, Rose

HSP is a language that we all understand. All people want to be happy and all people want to live in peace--- those things can happen with HSP.