First time to Japan: getting to know one of the most interesting, unusual countries in the world. Trophy noses and ears

On January 26, 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began with an attack on Port Arthur. The first clash of interests between young and aggressive Japanese capitalism and its northern neighbor Russia took place back in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. This war did not resolve a number of controversial issues between the countries, and a new clash was inevitable. The expectation of war also gave rise to the growth of anti-Christian sentiments in society, which now easily succumbed to provocations. And they didn’t have to wait long. In December 1903, a scandal broke out, the so-called Rotan incident (Ro is an abbreviation for Russia, tan spy). Bishop Nicholas was offered a letter from a certain official to hand over state secrets. Having ignored the letter, he considered it a bad joke, which was confirmed by the police investigation. But the already excited society began to see the mission as a nest of spies. To protect the clergy, the government ordered the deployment of armed guards on Surugadai, and as Vladyka later wrote, only the defeat of Russia saved the mission from defeat.

Vladyka directed all his strength first to translation activities, and with the appearance of the first Russian prisoners in Japan, to caring for them. On the initiative of the mission, the Society for the Spiritual Consolation of Prisoners of War was formed, consisting of clergy who knew Russian. It collected donations, supplied prisoners with Orthodox and secular literature, helped establish contacts with relatives, and sent priests to the camps for worship. Through the efforts of Father Nikolai, the memory of Russian soldiers who remained forever in Japanese soil was immortalized. Chapels were built in the cemeteries of the cities of Matsuyama and Osaka, where mass graves were located. Russia highly appreciated the efforts of the Bishop to preserve the Orthodox Church in Japan during the war and his assistance to prisoners of war. He was ranked in the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1906 with the title of Japanese.

The diaries of Nicholas of Japan left us the most valuable records of his thoughts about the reasons for his defeat in the war. Russia is paying for its ignorance and its pride, considering the Japanese an uneducated and weak people, not preparing as it should for war, but bringing the Japanese to war, and even missing the first time, he wrote back in 1904. He considered the collision with Japan to be the greatest mistake, because... According to the deep conviction of the Lord, Russia is not a maritime power, and it should not have used funds for the construction of fleets, but for the truly essential education of the people, the development of its internal wealth. The result of the monstrous adventure of the tsarist government caused only shame and pain. Father Nikolai wrote: In the historical picture of Russia, the past war is the darkest spot.
With the outbreak of war between Russia and Japan, Bishop Nicholas remained in Japan, despite the fact that he was advised to be wary of the treachery and vindictiveness of the Japanese. Naturally, he was asked the question: should Japanese Orthodox Christians take an active part in the war with Russia or not?

The Apostle of Japan answered this question this way: “Japanese Christians can and should take part in this fight, since this is their duty and responsibility as citizens of their fatherland. True, you, the Japanese, accepted the Orthodox faith of Russia, but despite this, she is your enemy, with whom it is your duty to fight…. To fight enemies does not mean to hate them, but only to defend one’s fatherland.”

During this crisis period of Russian-Japanese relations, St. Nicholas and his preachers, using personal example, were able to explain the independence of religion from political issues and did everything possible so that this war would not be considered a duel between a “dragon and a cross.” Before starting a sermon and earning the trust of listeners, priests had to prove more than once that the concepts of “Orthodox” and “Russian” are not synonymous and that there is nothing in common between them.

During the war, the Orthodox spiritual mission in Japan used all its strength. directed to alleviate the fate of Russian prisoners of war. In May 1904, for this purpose, the “Orthodox Partnership for the Spiritual Consolation of Prisoners of War” was formed. The members of the partnership were all Orthodox Japanese, without distinction of gender. This association owed its existence primarily to the Japanese government, but some prominent Russian people soon joined it, which made this international association of citizens very popular among Japanese society. During the Easter holiday of 1905, representatives of the Orthodox Japanese, addressing Russian prisoners, said the following words:

“A true Christian does not distinguish a Greek from a Jew, a Japanese from a Russian, but in every person he sees a brother in need of his love and support... The example of the piety of Russian prisoners will not be slow to influence the Japanese.”

It is necessary to note the extremely touching attitude towards the Russian prisoners and St. himself. Nicholas. As Niva magazine noted in 1912:

“They saw a lot of love from Vladyka Nicholas then. But then the archbishop himself suffered a lot of grief, remaining in the name of duty in a country hostile to everything Russian...”

But, despite all the adversities, the love of St. Nicholas to his vast flock remained limitless. Even despite his illness, in the last years of his life he found the opportunity to travel around his entire missionary area (over 2 thousand miles), preach, baptize, help the Orthodox Japanese in word and deed, creating an eternal structure of love and truth in this far from him real homeland country...

Everyone who was oppressed, mournful, or yearning came to “Nikorai,” as the Japanese called him, and no one left him without encouragement. The attitude of the Japanese towards their apostle changed so amazingly in just 20-30 years... So beautiful and fruitful were the works of his love and his Christian duty. Thanks to the work of Archbishop Nicholas in Japan, by the end of the Meiji era (1912), there were about 40 thousand Orthodox Christians in 300 parishes. All theological books were translated into Japanese.

The death of the Orthodox Apostle of Japan was met with universal sorrow. All major Russian periodicals, such as “Historical Bulletin”, “Russian Bulletin”, “World Illustration”, “Theological Bulletin”, “Home Conversation”, “Niva” informed the Russian public about this sad loss. As many eyewitnesses noted, not only Christians, but also adherents of other faiths felt a sad and irreplaceable loss in the death of Archbishop Nicholas.

The founder of the Japanese Orthodox Church, Saint Nicholas, had a tremendous influence on Japanese society. In fact, he created Japanese Orthodox culture. According to Archpriest Proclus Yasuo Ushumaru, a professor at the Tokyo Orthodox Seminary, his work was “an embellishment of the Meiji period.”

Revealing the foundations of faith in his environment, Saint Nicholas wanted the Japanese themselves to create their own spiritual world in it. He saw that in the depths of the national spirit of the Japanese lies a special power of “appropriation of foreign forms”, which developed in Japan in the process of its centuries-old contacts with great and small cultures. Vladyka Nicholas wanted to have Japanese architects, Japanese icon painters and Japanese choirs. He trained catechists and priests from among the Japanese. He took care of the publication of religious books in Japanese. Performed by St. Nicholas, in collaboration with Zukumara Nakai (1855-1943), the translation of the Bible was the greatest achievement of translation skill, bringing St. Nikolai and his collaborator “immortality in the world of Japanese literature.” Published under the direction of St. Nicholas' theological commentaries, collections of sermons, the Catechism, works on church history, and the lives of saints formed a huge theological library.

Thanks to the activities of the Russian Orthodox mission, Orthodoxy acquired real significance in the history of Japan.

On August 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohitopo addressed the nation and announced Japan's surrender. The American course towards democratization has deprived it of the army, the old order and even God. Emperor Hirohito was replaced by the cult of General Douglas MacArthur.

Emperor's order

Japan's withdrawal from the war and the adoption of the Potsdam Declaration was the sole decision of the monarch, Emperor Hirohito of Japan. Even despite the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 and the entry of the USSR into the war, many commanders-in-chief advocated for the continuation of the war. They knew that well-trained, still powerful armed forces with the ideology of “heads for the emperor” would go to the end.

However, after listening to the report of Prime Minister Suzuki, the emperor announced unconditional surrender in the form of an ultimatum: “... I ordered the Potsdam Declaration to be adopted. I command everyone to join me... Accept the terms immediately. So that the people can know about my decision, I command that an imperial rescript on this issue be urgently prepared.”

Further protests were futile. When one group of fanatical officers, the “Young Tigers,” tried to steal the film with the emperor’s corresponding address to the people and disrupt the adoption of the declaration, they were sentenced to death by hara-kiri.

Japanese official propaganda emphasized and emphasizes the “special role of the emperor” in Japan’s exit from the war. According to her statements, the capitulation was announced only at the insistence of the emperor, and the military defeat and the need for capitulation were either not mentioned at all or were considered secondary reasons.

Remembering the past

On September 2, 1945, the signing of the Japanese surrender took place on board the American battleship Missouri, which entered Tokyo Bay. The ceremony was given special pathos. The emphasis was placed on the fact that this victory seemed to sum up almost a century of US policy in the Pacific Ocean. It began, accordingly, with the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, when Commodore Matthew Perry opened an isolated Japanese market “under the guns.” To once again remind the Japanese of this, the Americans removed from the museum, delivered to the Missouri and placed in a prominent place the very flag that first appeared on the shores of Japan a hundred years ago.

Horrors of occupation

The American public perceived the “course of democratization of Japan” in its own way. In the book “The American Occupation of Japan,” Michael Schaller writes that as the end of the imperial victories approached, the fantasy of American “patriots” was rampant, dreaming of taking revenge on the Japanese for the shame of Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, for defeats in the Pacific.

Senator Theodore Bilbow, for example, demanded that all Japanese be sterilized. A project was even developed to breed a “new breed” of inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun: “eradicating the innate barbarity of the Japanese” by “crossing them with the quiet and obedient inhabitants of the Pacific Islands.”

All these sentiments led to waves of fear in the occupied country. Even before the end of the war, the authorities began distributing potassium cyanide tablets in Japanese factories, which female workers were to take in case they were humiliated by the occupiers.

The terrible projects of those “offended by Pearl Harbor” passed over the civilian population of Japan. Credit must be given here to Douglas MacArthur, who quickly distanced himself from the radical 13 percent who demanded ruthless retribution. This gesture was presented as a natural manifestation of MacArthur’s nature, his inner world, and decency.

"Paragraph No. 9"

Following the example of the “Napoleonic Code,” an American general in Japan created the “MacArthur Code.” The new law reshaped traditional Japanese customs and religion in an American way. For example, in a conservative country, women suddenly received voting rights: “The elections (in Japan) were not without funny incidents,” Douglas himself recalls. “The day after the election results were announced, a very respectable leader of Japanese legislators called me, discouraged by something, and asked me audiences. “I’m sorry, but something terrible happened,” he said, “a prostitute was elected to parliament.” I asked him, “How many votes did she get?” The Japanese legislator sighed and said, “256,000.” I said as solemnly as possible: “Then I am forced to assume that there must be something more hidden here than her dubious occupation.”

However, the flaw in the new constitution, according to MacArthur himself, was not that marginal elements gained access to government. Researchers claim that Douglas, until the end of his life, could not forgive himself for allowing “Article No. 9” into the country’s fundamental law. He ruled out war and the armed forces for Japan as a means of its policy in the international arena. Subsequently, this deprived the United States of a strong ally in the fight against the USSR and China. Japan has long been nicknamed “a political dwarf with a big wallet.”

It must be said that MacArthur took this step not so much for the sake of peace as for security reasons. In the United States, memories of the crimes of Japanese militarism and the atrocities of its generals and soldiers were still fresh.

Man, not God

The MacArthur Code was entirely directed against the person of the emperor, who at the time of the occupation was still a “descendant of the sun goddess.” Each of the reforms of the American governor directly or indirectly landed the emperor. For example, an order to remove portraits of the emperor from schools or a ban on bowing towards his palace.

Even Douglas’s very behavior before the emperor was aimed at belittling the “divine personality.” So, during the first reception of the emperor, whom only a select few could see until the end of the 19th century, MacArthur came to him not in an official uniform, but in an everyday uniform shirt with an unbuttoned collar. Historians compare this meeting to how “a doorman dressed in braid at an expensive hotel slavishly opens the door to a long-haired tourist in faded jeans.”

In the end, under pressure from MacArthur, the “main idol” of the Japanese ceased to be such. On January 1, 1946, Hirohito declared to the Japanese people that he was not of divine origin at all, that he himself had never been a deity, that all this was in fact a myth worthy of regret. True, he himself obviously remained unconvinced. Before his death, after the occupation, the emperor ordered a microscope, his favorite hat, slippers and ties of his favorite colors to be prepared for the next world.

New idol

A holy place is never empty. Despite the fact that “it is difficult to be a god,” the new American ruler of Japan decided to try on this role for himself. As many biographers have noted, MacArthur became a megalomaniac. In his memoirs, he wrote: “I am a professional soldier who has received the absolute right to control the lives of 80 million people.”

Through the efforts of propaganda, he began to turn into a new idol for a country that was accustomed to living in the radiance of a monarch.
He became the new idol of the Japanese bourgeoisie. Rumors began to spread that MacArthur had the blood of Japanese emperors in his veins, that he had a beloved Japanese woman, with whom he had a daughter. The 62-page brochure “General MacArthur” was constantly republished. He presented himself as absolute power. The Tokyo newspaper Zhizhi Shimpo wrote: “MacArthur is made into a god.” People even saw healing powers in it. Women wrote letters to him, begging him to bless them before giving birth so that the child would become great; police officers sought permission to wear American soldier boots, chronically ill and crippled people called upon magical powers in the guise of MacArthur to become healers. Foreign delegations paid their first visit to MacArthur.

Delusions of grandeur never rewarded Douglas with the main prize - the presidency in Washington. And his radicalism, coupled with excessive self-confidence, led to defeats during the war in North Korea. In 1951, President Truman dismissed Douglas, and soon, in 1952, the occupation of Japan ended as a result of the San Francisco Peace Treaty.

15 facts about Japan

Against the backdrop of the previous article, I wanted to talk a little about Japan - an interesting, mysterious and very original country.

1. Japan is considered the safest country in the world. And Tokyo is the safest city in the world. It is so safe that children as young as six can use public transport on their own without parental supervision.

2. The Japanese respect a foreigner who knows at least a couple of phrases in their language. The fact is that they believe that it is impossible to learn their language.

3. The Japanese are very honest people - if you lose something in the subway, then with a 99% probability the finder will take it to the lost and found office.

4. There are vases with umbrellas on the streets of Tokyo. In case of rain, you can safely take an umbrella there, and then you can leave it in another vase.

5. During the morning rush hour, the Japanese subway has separate cars for women so that no one can harass them. Pinching females on a crowded subway is common among Japanese men.

This is something like a Japanese national sport, so it’s not surprising that an adult man can happily share with his colleagues that he pinched a high school girl on the subway.

6. The Japanese are obsessed with food. And when they eat, they describe the sensations of the food. During dinner, be sure to praise the food, otherwise you may be considered impolite. When traveling abroad, the Japanese are not fascinated by spiritual food, but by ordinary food. You definitely need to eat something outlandish, and show off when you get home.

7. Food in Japan is cheap fish and meat. But fruits are very expensive: an apple can cost two dollars, and a bunch of bananas can cost five. And there’s no need to talk about melon at all. One melon, of which we can eat about ten in a season, can cost two hundred dollars in Japan.

8. Despite the fact that the Japanese can safely squeeze other people’s girls on the subway, in their personal lives they are very shy and easily embarrassed. For example, instead of proposing marriage to their beloved, they may say something like “could you make me some soup?” or “can you do my laundry?” - and this will be considered as a proposal to get married, otherwise they are embarrassed.

9. In Japan, men are always served first. In restaurants, they will take his order first, bring a drink, and in stores they will greet him first, and only then the woman.

10. The Japanese, instead of their personal signature, put a special personalized seal called hanko. Every Japanese has such a seal and you can buy it in any store.

11. In the northern cities of Japan, where it is cold and snowy in winter, sidewalks and streets are heated to prevent ice. But at the same time, the houses do not have central heating; each resident heats his home as best he can. Therefore, very often Japanese apartments and houses are very cold.

Find out why the Japanese wash in the same bathtub and what is the most dirty word in their language

Japan is, without exaggeration, a unique country. Nanotechnology here is surprisingly combined with ancient traditions; some customs operate on a par with laws. We decided to collect 30 of the most interesting facts about Japan and share them with you.

The Japanese have great respect for those who can speak at least two phrases in their language. They believe that it is impossible to learn it.
The strongest curse words in Japanese are “fool” and “idiot”.
In Japanese, "fool" is "baka" (literally stupid person). And a foreigner is like a “gaijin” (literally, a stranger). "Baka-gaijin" in Japanese colloquial means American.
The Japanese talk about food all the time, and when they eat, they discuss how much they like the food. Having dinner without saying oishii (delicious) several times is very impolite.
In Japan they eat dolphins. They are used to make soup, cook kushiyaki (Japanese kebab), and even eat them raw. Dolphin has quite tasty meat, with a distinct taste, and is completely different from fish.
Probably, proper nutrition can explain the fact that here you very rarely see an overweight Japanese woman.
Japan has the slowest McDonald's in the world.
Tipping is strictly not accepted in Japan. It is believed that as long as the client pays the prescribed price for the service, he remains on an equal footing with the seller.
People in Japan are very honest. If you lost your wallet on the subway, there is a 90% chance that it will be returned to the lost and found office.

There is no looting during earthquakes in Japan. Why - see point 9.
Japanese police are the most honest in the world; they do not take bribes. Except that sometimes for minor violations you can talk them out of letting them go by pretending to be a “baka”.
If you are caught for something serious, they have the right to keep you in a pre-trial detention center for 30 days without allowing a lawyer.
Tokyo is the safest metropolis in the world. Tokyo is so safe that children as young as six can use public transport on their own.
Japan has a specific attitude towards pornography. Previously, almost every Japanese hotel had a strawberry channel.
Every grocery store has a hentai shelf on the press rack. Large bookstores have entire floors dedicated to pornography.
The age of consent in Japan is 13 years old. This means that from a certain age, consensual sex is not considered rape.
Tokyo's Shinjuku-Ni-Cheme district has the largest concentration of gay bars in the world.
The Japanese and alcohol are poorly compatible concepts. Most of them, even after one glass of strong alcohol, begin to blush terribly. But there are exceptions - any Ukrainian will be drunk.
The Japanese are very shy, not used to expressing their feelings. For many, it is a real feat to say: “I love you.”

A third of weddings in the country are the result of matchmaking and viewing parties organized by parents.
In Japanese families, it is an absolutely normal situation when a brother and sister don’t talk at all, and don’t even know each other’s mobile phone numbers.
The Japanese are very clean people, but no matter how many members there are in the family, everyone takes a bath without changing the water. True, before this everyone takes a shower.
The Japanese almost never invite guests home. The invitation to “come by sometime” in most cases should be taken solely as a polite turn of phrase.
The Japanese are crazy workaholics. They can easily work 15-18 hours a day without a lunch break.
Arriving to work on time is considered bad manners in Japan. You need to be there at least half an hour earlier.
There is even a word in Japanese called "karoshi", which literally translates to "death from overwork". On average, ten thousand people die every year with this diagnosis.
The Japanese have very low pensions. The maximum social benefit for poor old people is about $300. Every Japanese person is expected to take care of their own old age.
In the northern cities of Japan, all sidewalks are heated, so there is never ice here.
In Japan, you can see vases with umbrellas on the streets. If it starts to rain, you can take any, and then, when the rain stops, put it in the nearest vase.
You won't see trash cans on Japanese streets. The Japanese take all the garbage home, and then sort it into four types: glass, burnt, recyclable and non-burnt waste.