Japanese Trains/Kagoshima
Yufuin Onsen
Ogori/Izumo
Tottori/Kyoto
Homeland
Pearl Harbor/Perspectives
Lost and Found/Back Home
Nova Scotia
"The Metric Martyr"
Inaugurations
Are/Air/Heir/Hare/Hair
Symphony Orchestra Concert
Expensive Cities
Japanese Trains/Kagoshima
01/01/02
A basic characteristic of train travel in Japan is that trains arrive and leave as scheduled. During our trip, I carried with me a train schedule of trains that run throughout the country, made our detailed travel plans as we went along and the trains were always on time. Sometimes we had to rush from one platform to another to make the next train at a transfer point, but we could depend on trains arriving and departing on time. Arriving at Nishi Kagoshima Station, I told the taxi driver the name of the hotel to which I had phoned a reservation from Nagasaki the night before. It has an English name, but since I did not give it the Japanese-style pronunciation, at first he did not understand. An interesting feature of that hotel was that when the key to the door of our room was placed in the receptacle on the wall next to the door, electric power was activated and the lights came on, but when the key was not in that receptacle, there was no electric power. The next morning, we walked to the ferry terminal and boarded a ferry for the 15-minute ride to the volcanic island of Sakurajima. During our short visit there, this active volcano did not erupt. After returning to our hotel, we got our luggage and walked to Kagoshima Station. There we boarded a train bound for the city of Miyazaki, where we transferred to a train to Oita. There, during an hour's wait for our next train, we walked out of the station and saw hundreds of birds flying together in flocks and settling on a high antenna tower. Taxi drivers informed us that they were starlings and are seen often at this time of year. (216)
Yufuin Onsen
01/01/04
Japan is a land of few natural resources but of great natural beauty. One is never far from a place where beautiful scenery, including high mountains and an expansive body of water or winding rivers, may be seen. Many mountains are either active or dormant volcanoes and the underground volcanic activity is related to numerous hot springs, or "onsen", which are found in many places. Hot springs on the island of Kyushu contain minerals which are said to be beneficial to those suffering from certain physical ailments. We chose to enjoy the hot springs on a comparatively secluded plateau beside Mount Yufu, called "Yufuin". The "in" in this placename is a character used for both temples and hospitals and soaking in the hot mineral springs may have a soothing effect on both mind and body. The spa at which we had reserved a room sent a car to pick us up at the station and took us back to the station the next day. We enjoyed the typical Japanese food for both our evening and morning meals. In the thermal bath, we could not sit over the place where the natural hot spring enters because it was so hot, but a trickle of cool water constantly dripped from a bamboo pipe to temper the heat. Unfortunately, we were unable to enjoy the outdoor bath the next morning because it began to rain. From the train along the coast, we could see both mountains and water and we thanked God for the beauty of his creation. Our return to the island of Honshu was through a tunnel beneath the narrow strait separating these two islands. (217)
Ogori/Izumo
The first stop on our trip after returning to the island of Honshu from
Kyushu was Shimonoseki, where we had to wait an hour for the next train.
While waiting, we walked out of the station and into a shopping area.
There, while I sat at a table with our luggage and read, my wife did
some window shopping. At the transfer station of Ogori, we had a
one-and-a-half-hour wait for the train to take us to the Japan Sea side
of the island. We inquired at the station about any special places of
interest within walking distance and were told of an historic place
called Gochuan where a famous Haiku poet, Santoka, wrote poetry. Putting
our luggage in a coin locker at the station, we walked through the town
and up a hill to that place. On the way back, we stopped at a travel
office in front of the station and reserved a room at an inn in Izumo,
where we had decided to spend the night. A famous shrine in Japanese
history and mythology is located in that town on the Japan Sea coast.
Unfortunately, I was unable to connect my laptop computer to the
telephone line at that inn. The inn manager suggested I take my computer
to the nearby station and try to use a telephone there. I was
unsuccessful, so he then went with me to the station, but the result was
the same. Finally, he contacted a friend of his at another inn who had a
computer and had access to the internet. Even though it was at night, I
took my computer to that man's office, where I was able to add my next
"Timely Words" message and to read our e-mail. I was grateful for the
help of the inn manager and for the kindness of his friend. (221)
Tottori/Kyoto
From Izumo, we enjoyed the train ride along the coast of the Japan Sea.
At Tottori, a city famous for its sand dunes, we put our luggage in a
coin locker and walked to a folkcraft art museum. Then we returned to
the station and boarded a bus that takes a circular route with stops at
a number of places of interest around the city. We got off at the first
stop in front of a three-story building in which children's toys, games
and dolls from around the world were displayed. In one section, children
(or adults) were able to play with the games themselves. The history
behind the games was explained and, in a separate section, children's
songs were introduced. It was a very interesting place and my wife was
particularly interested because she was a teacher of preschool children
for many years. Checking the time and the bus schedule, we realized that
taking the bus on its loop route would not get us back to the station in
time for our train, so we hurried back to the station on foot, for
twenty minutes or so, and were able to board the train for Kyoto along
with our luggage. As is customary, the conductor on this Japan Railway
train was a man wearing a black uniform, but along the way, we were
surprised to be told by a female conductor in a brown uniform that that
express train, headed for Kyoto, had now entered a non JR line on which
our Japan Rail Pass was not recognized, so we had to pay an extra fare
for that 56-kilometer portion of our trip. In Kyoto, which we had
visited before, we stayed in an inn in front of the station and left the
next morning to visit friends on our return to Nagoya. (222)
Homeland
Since my wife and I left the United States and went to Japan as
missionaries when we were in our early twenties and continued to
minister there after we had reached our seventies, we feel at home in
both countries. Although we had been granted "Permanent Resident" status
in Japan, our legal citizenship remained in the U. S. A., which we call
our "homeland". Since our official retirement in the Spring of 1999, we
have been living in retirement in the town of Penney Farms in northern
Florida. We returned to Japan in November of 2000 for special meetings
in the churches we had planted in Aichi Prefecture and to spend time
with our son and his family who continue to live in the Nagoya area. We
also traveled to the island of Kyushu and visited many old friends. Our
daughter from Thailand also joined us for Christmas and New Year's
celebrations. A couple of days before we were scheduled to return to the
U. S., we attended a meeting of missionaries near Mount Fuji and
returned to Nagoya at noon on the day of our departure. It was a very
busy day, since we had business to take care of at the post office and
the bank as well as to make adjustments on this homepage. We did get to
the airport in time to greet those who came to see us off and to board
the plane for Honolulu, where this message was written. We were happy to
spend the afternoon with a couple we knew well in Nagoya who have now
retired here in their "homeland". Where is one's "homeland"? One answer
to that question is: "Home is where the heart is" and we can "feel at
home" in many different locations. (227)
Pearl Harbor/Perspectives
Because the world has a spherical shape, "north" and "south" are the
only directions that have a point marking their beginning and end: the
north and south poles. "East" and "West" have no such points, so we can
continue going "east" or "west" around the globe. Consequently, "far
east" or "far west" are relative terms related to what is considered the
center of the world on a two-dimensional map. Although California is on
the west coast of the continental United States, it is not the
westernmost state. My wife and I went west from the U. S. to Japan,
which is said to be in the "far east". We then went east to the "far
western" state of Hawaii. During our stay in Japan, we had visited
museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which directed our attention to the
cruel atomic bombings that caused great destruction and many deaths but
brought an end to the Pacific War. In Hawaii, we visited two museums at
Pearl Harbor. One was erected over the sunken battleship "Arizona", in
which 1177 sailors died from the Japanese bombing that began the Pacific
War. It was customary to give American battleships the name of states.
The last world's battleship in operation, the "Missouri", is now
anchored in Pearl Harbor as a memorial museum. It was on the deck of
this ship that the instrument of surrender was signed by both the
Japanese and Allied Powers which brought an official end to the Pacific
War. Which historical events we choose to emphasize also depends upon
our perspective and what we put at the center of our interest. (228)
Lost and Found/Back Home
Checkout time at our hotel in Honolulu was noon, but our plane did not
leave until evening, so we left our luggage in storage at the hotel and
went out to eat with a friend. Afterward, my wife went shopping with the
friend while I returned to the hotel lobby to read. We went to the
airport on a shuttle bus, the back of which was filled with the luggage
of passengers who were taking various airlines. The first airline the
bus stopped at was the one my wife and I were taking, so we got off with
our four suitcases plus two items each to carry on the plane with us. My
carryons were an attache case and a laptop computer. As we were standing
in line to check in, I realized that my attache case, in which were
important documents and books, was not with me. I went out to the curb
to make sure it was not left there. I called the hotel and asked them to
call the bus driver. They called back to the public telephone I was
using, informed me that the attache case was not left on the bus and
suggested I check with the airport security office. I did so and was
told that the attache case had just been delivered to the "Lost and
Found" desk. I ran there to retrieve it and was told by the clerk that
50,000 yen had been left in it. As I ran to the gate to board the
airplane, I heard my name being called on the public address system and
at the boarding gate, I was asked if I had retrieved my attache case. I
was very grateful that I was able to get it back and to have it with me
on the plane. After a flight to Atlanta and then on to Jacksonville, we
were met by friends from our retirement community who drove us back home.
(229)
Nova Scotia
Do you know where Nova Scotia is located? After receiving an e-mail
message from a "Timely Words" reader there, I realized that I knew
comparatively little about the country of Canada, our northern neighbor,
the second largest country in the world (after Russia) which occupies
the major part of the continent of North America. Actually, the term
"American" should be applicable to Canadians, Mexicans and all the other
nationalities in Central and South America as well as to citizens of the
United States of America, but there seems to be no other short, suitable
term to denote the latter group. The U. S. A. is divided into 50
"states" and one "federal district" and Japan has 47 "prefectures", but
Canada is a federation composed of ten "provinces" and two "territories".
Nova Scotia is one of the three Maritime Provinces on the eastern coast
of the country. In the United States, there are a number of cities or
areas whose names have been derived from European cities or places with
the word "New" added. The most widely known places so named include New
York, New Orleans, New London and New Hampshire. Similarly, the name
"Nova Scotia" is the Latin form of "New Scotland". Formerly ruled by
both France and England, during the early 19th century, thousands of
Scots and Irish emigrated to Nova Scotia and, in 1867, it became one of
the four original members of the Canadian confederation. Both mining and
fishing are important industries and there are many beautiful sites that
attract tourists. (163)
"The Metric Martyr"
Most of the industrialized world now uses the metric system of weights
and measurements which is much simpler and more logical than the older,
traditional systems it replaced. In the United States, however, the
older system of inches, feet, yards and miles, ounces, pints, quarts and
gallons, ounces, pounds and tons is still being used. This American
system, of course, was brought from Europe by the immigrants from across
the ocean. Now the European Union has decreed that the metric system
must be used by shopkeepers, but a British greengrocer has been arrested
for selling bananas by the pound instead of by the gram. Trade officers
have seized two of the shopkeeper's scales because they were marked in
pounds and ounces instead of grams. He has been called "the metric
martyr" by supporters who claim that British law allows shopkeepers to
use either metric or imperial units. British lawyers are now arguing
over whether British merchants are required to obey European Union
directives. The U. K. Independence Party, which advocates British
withdrawal from the European Union, is supporting the greengrocer and
questions whether Britain must submit to all the rules, regulations and
directives of the E. U. When the requirements of different authorities
are divergent, the problem of which authority we should obey is one that
many of us have faced. The Bible teaches that we must submit to
governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7), but when those authorities seem
to conflict with the commands of God, we must choose which authority to
follow and, for the Christian, God's Word has priority. .(230)
Inaugurations
Last week, crucial changes took place in the leadership of three
important countries on three different continents. President Laurent
Kabila of the Congo was assassinated by a bodyguard and was succeeded by
his son, Joseph, who faces the difficult task of trying to rule a
country nearly half of which is controlled by rebel factions. In the
Philippines, President Joseph Estrada resigned in the midst of a trial
charging him with plundering government funds. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
the former vice-president from another party, is the new president there.
And, after a controversial election in which he received fewer votes of
the general public than his main opponent, George W. Bush was
inaugurated as the president of the United States of America. At his
inauguration, he placed his hand on a Bible and solemnly swore to uphold
the Constitution with the help of almighty God. To "inaugurate" means to
induct into office by a formal ceremony. The "inauguration" of a
president in a democracy is different than a "coronation", or crowning
ceremony, of a king or queen in a monarchy. Under the present Japanese
Constitution, the emperor is the "symbol of the State and of the unity
of the people". There is an "enthronement" ceremony for the emperor, but
not a "coronation". In the Old Testament, kings of Israel and Judah were
"anointed" with oil by a priest, signifying their consecration to their
divinely appointed responsibility. The Biblical terms "Christ" (from
Greek) and "Messiah" (from Hebrew) literally mean "Anointed One" and
that is what Christians believe the man named Jesus was. (231)
Are/Air/Heir/Hare/Hair
In contrast with languages in which a certain letter, symbol or
character always has the same pronunciation, the pronunciation of
English words is very irregular. The word spelled a-r-e, which is a
plural form of the verb "be", has the same pronunciation as the 18th
letter of the alphabet. And the word spelled a-i-r. which denotes the
atmosphere around us, has the same pronunciation as the word spelled
h-e-i-r, which signifies a person who has inherited something. But if an
h is added to the beginning of those two words, their pronunciation
becomes identical. Which is to say that "hare" and "hair" are pronounced
the same. A "hare" is a small mammal resembling a rabbit, but having
longer ears, larger hind feet and longer legs adapted for jumping.
"Hair" is that which grows on the heads of human beings. In the past, it
was usual for women and girls to let their hair grow longer than that of
men and boys, but this is no longer necessarily so. It would be very
difficult to count the number of hairs on a person's head, but to
illustrate his teaching that God knows everything and has a deep concern
for every human being, Jesus told his disciples, in Matthew 10:30, that
even the number of hairs on their heads was known to God. According to a
reliable reference book, there are about 100,000 hairs on a human head,
of which from 25 to 125 are lost every day. Those hairs that are lost
are replaced by new hairs unless the balding process has begun. Those of
us who still have a fair supply of hair on our heads should be
thankful--even if it is turning gray or white. (167)
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