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Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Grim Reaper-san
I was somewhat struck by the way the Japanese seem to focus on mortality. I brought small gifts for my colleagues in Tokyo, and knew that presentation is extremely important there -- to the extent that the presentation of the gift is more important than the gift itself. What became tricky was finding an acceptable gift wrap. This little endeavor revealed a bit of a hang-up...
I never got an explanation as to why death plays such a prominent role in the culture, but during a day trip to Mt. Fuji, the tour guide mentioned a few things that might shed some light. Tokyo is hit by a major earthquake about every 75-80 years. The last one was about 85 years ago, so they're "due." Similarly, though I can't remember all of the numbers, Japan is expecting Mt. Fuji to erupt very soon, they're overdue for a major tsunami, and people are anxiously awaiting the next major typhoon, also expected soon. As we rode past the forest where people evidently go to commit suicide, the tour guide spoke of these disaster cycles as if all four calamities were expected that afternoon, though we managed to finish the trip more or less unscathed. Maybe the ubiquitous sense of impending doom has something to do with the rather extensive superstition surrounding death? posted by Max Power | 12:50 PMon this |
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