My thoughts are with Japan

It's been a bit of a rough week for me, and there's not really anything useful to post about it just yet. Perhaps after I get some relaxation and perspective I can write something worth sharing.

But really my thoughts are on Japan. I grew up feeling a rather strong attachment to this country that I had never been to. I loved Japanese armor from the time I was young (in Baltimore, you can go to the Walters Art Gallery to admire such things). At MIT I studied Japanese history for 3 semesters, from the age of the samurai (though with a different prof), up to modern times, and even going back to early history from the 800's and on. I studied East Asian religions and was fascinated with Zen. In graduate school for mechanical engineering, I even studied Japanese for year and it was, by far, my favorite class.

Basically, if there are such thing as past lives, one of mine was definitely in Japan. And if not, well, I have no explanation for the strong affinity I've felt for the art, the nation, the culture, and the people.

So when I finally had a chance to plan a trip there last year during my sabbatical, I was overjoyed. I was able to spend several days in Tokyo and several days in Kyoto. I'm glad the south seems to have been spared from the worst of the earthquake and tsunami destruction, but Tokyo has seen some major disruptions. And as I'm relieved to hear from the friends that have checked in, my thoughts go out to all who are affected.

And so I'm looking back at my day in Tokyo when I first got there, when I took a tour of the major sites of the city, and remembering that even with jetlag, it was a wonder.

A view of Tokyo from the tower:


The Asakusa arcade:


It's just horrible what has happened, and particularly in the north, but I'm comforted by the resiliency and strength of the people of Japan based on the history I've studied