Japan Land of Beauty & Tradition. Philip Sandoz

      

      JAPAN

      Land of Beauty and Tradition

      JAPAN

      Land of Beauty and Tradition

      Text Philip Sandoz

       Photographs Narumi Yasuda

      Tuttle Publishing

       Boston • Rutland, Vermont • Tokyo

      Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759 U.S.A.

      © 1992 by Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

      Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 92-82612

       ISBN 0-8048-2067-8

       ISBN 978-1-4629-1680-1 (ebook)

      First edition 1992

      Printed in Singapore

      Distributed by

      Japan

       Tuttle Publishing, Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor

       5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawu-ku, Tokyo 141-0032

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       Email: [email protected]

      North America, Latin America & Europe

       Tuttle Publishing, 364 Innovation Drive

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      Asia Pacific

       Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd.

       61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12 Singapore 534167

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       Email: [email protected] www.periplus.com

      10 09 08 07 06 05

       9 8 7 6 5 4

      The publisher would like to thank Takeshi Kojima for his photographs of the fall foliage on page 26 and the geisha on page 32.

      CAPTIONS

       p. 1 Cherry blossoms, Chion’in, Kyoto pp. 2-3 Rice harvest, Miyagi Prefecture pp. 4-5 (title page) Sumiyoshi Shrine, Osaka p. 6 Chrysanthemums, Tokyo p. 72 Carp streamers, Tokyo

      Contents

       Map of Japan

       Introduction

      TOKYO

       The Nation’s Capital

      MOUNT FUJI

       Symbol of Japan

      KYOTO

       Source of the Nation’s Spirit

      NARA

       The Ancient Capital

      THE INLAND SEA

       Channel of Commerce and Culture

      THE JAPAN ALPS

       Backbone of Japan

      TOHOKU

       The Northern Prefectures

      KYUSHU

       Gateway to the Outside World

      HOKKAIDO

       The Last Frontier

      HIDDEN DESTINATIONS

       Off the Beaten Track

      LAND OF FOLK CRAFTS

       Dolls in All Shapes and Styles

      Introduction

      On first visiting Japan, Westerners are often surprised because apocryphal tales and even accurate statistics belie the reality, variety, and beauty of this long, narrow archipelago. The entire land mass of Japan could fit into the state of Montana with enough room left over for three and a half Rhode Islands. Within this area, however, are packed almost 124 million people (Montana has around 787,000) and an amazing diversity of climatic conditions.

      From the bitterness of Japan’s northernmost point, Bentenjima, at almost the same latitude as the Siberian city of Khabarovsk, to the tropical atmosphere of Yonagunijima, a metaphorical stone’s throw from Taiwan, Nippon encompasses every possible gradation of climate and topography.

      The Japanese people, their traditions, beliefs, and ways of life are equally diverse. Almost every Westerner knows of Sony, Nissan, Toshiba, and Nintendo; many have even heard about Shinto, cherry-blossom viewing, shoguns, and Kabuki; but few connect Japan with sun-bronzed islanders lounging beneath palm trees, hunters tracking and trapping wild boars and bears through untouched wildernesses, or the lone farmer driving his harvester through vast fields of ripe, golden wheat.