Tranquility reigns at Japan's famous shrine

A Japanese woman at Yasukuni Shrine about to release a dove for peace.

If there's one Japanese shrine that pretty much everyone knows about it's Yasukuni-jinja in Tokyo. Few people will recall the actual name but it creates headlines around the world when Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi makes his annual pilgrimage.

Countries like China and both Koreas, which suffered under Japanese rule in World War II, object. They say the shrine is an inappropriate place for the Prime Minister to visit because it glorifies Japan's militaristic past and, in particular, honours 14 class-A war criminals executed after the war.

But what is actually there?

I decided to make a visit to Yasukuni my first foray into the maze of Tokyo's subway system, which the Government is trying to make more accessible to foreigners by putting up signs in English.

My map suggested Ichigaya was the nearest station to the shrine and I needed to get the Yurakucho line northbound.

Sure enough there was a sign in English which told me the fare was 160 (about $2) and what platform I needed, so I bought the ticket from a slot machine and plunged into the maelstrom.

The train arrived and I was off. Easy peasy.

But suddenly I was at Idabashi, a stop too far, without having seen a sign for Ichigaya. Instant panic.

I sought advice from a trio of schoolgirls who, in between giggling at the fun of it all, seemed to enjoy practising their English.

They led me to another train which took us back two stops, and pointed to the other side of the platform: "That one will take you." And it did.

Ichigaya was conspicuously lacking in signs in English and I was a bit nervous about asking directions in case I struck one of the rightwingers who demonstrate outside the shrine shouting: "Long live the Emperor" and "Reject foreign influences."

Instead I made a lucky guess.

Happily, after a few minutes of walking past shops and restaurants - many with placards in English - - I spied a high wall with a gateway into what I guessed - because all the signs were in Japanese - was the shrine.

It wasn't exactly what I had expected. There were no demonstrators, no flags, no pictures and as far as I could see no nationalistic symbols of any kind, apart from two gold imperial chrysanthemums on the main door.

Tranquillity reigned.

It was very different to my visit earlier in the day to Senso-Ji, Temple of the Goddess of Compassion, where the entrance is through a lively market, the grounds are bustling with worshippers and the atmosphere is of a non-stop religious carnival.

In sharp contrast, Yasukuni sits in a large, peaceful - except on special anniversaries, such as August 15, the day World War II ended - tree-filled park. The shrine itself is down a wide central boulevard leading through two huge entrance gates and it is built very much in traditional style but rather less ornately than others I have seen.

Still a little apprehensive about how foreign influences might be viewed, I asked a young Japanese couple if this really was Yasukuni and they confirmed it was. The young man said amiably he was there to remember his grandfather who died in the war.

After purifying themselves by washing their hands with water from the trough by the entrance they walked to the final gate, bowed deeply and walked to the step of shrine itself, where they bowed again and stood for several minutes in silent contemplation.

Their presence was a reminder that the shrine houses the spirits of a lot more than just 14 war criminals.

It was built in 1869 to acknowledge those who died in the Meiji Restoration which overthrew the Shogun and restored the emperors to power.

Since then it has been a shrine to all those who have died in the service of the Emperor, including the dead of two world wars, some 2.8 million in all. Eight million people, like that young couple, visit every year to remember some among those dead. Yasukuni means something like "peaceful country shrine" and Koizumi says he goes there to pray for world peace and for the souls of all those killed. It seems like a good place to do just that.

Since returning home I've heard the shrine described several times as a place which glorifies war and war criminals. That may be the attitude of some who go there - though not the young couple I spoke to - but the shrine itself didn't seem to me to glorify anything.

More than anything else, the shrine reminded me of the Hall of Memories at the Auckland Museum with its sad illustration of the toll of war.

I stood for a while with bowed head to remember all those young lives needlessly wasted. A few weeks before I had done the same at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand, which holds many of those who died building the notorious Death Railway for the Japanese. Its rows of plaques bearing sad messages from fathers, mothers and wives made it even more poignant.

Within Yasakuni's grounds is a typical war museum containing, by the look of it, the usual tanks and planes, and unlike the shrine itself it has English notices. I didn't bother going inside. This was a place to think about the casualties of war rather than the ingenious machines built to kill them.

As I ended my meditation an elderly man in blue overalls, who looked old enough to have fought in the last world war, walked across to where I was, gave a low bow to the shrine, then turned and offered me an approving nod, saying something I didn't understand. I nodded back and responded from my limited list of phrases, "Konnichiwa." With a smile he replied, "Konnichiwa," and made a sweeping hand gesture embracing the shrine, again saying something I didn't understand. It seems ridiculous, but in that brief exchange I felt some sort of understanding had been reached about the futility of war.

After further bows we departed, in my case with some trepidation because I was heading for the chaos which is the Tokyo subway at peak, but I found my way through the maze with only a few hiccups.

Whatever the extremists may shout about resisting foreign influences, Japan is making big efforts to encourage foreigners to visit and they're having an effect. 

* Jim Eagles travelled as guest of Japan's ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Getting there

United Travel has packages for four nights in Tokyo from $1855 per person share twin. The price includes return economy class flights from Auckland to Tokyo flying Japan Airlines and four nights' accommodation at the Shiba Park Hotel, which is located close to Tokyo Tower and Zojo-ji Temple, just a three-minute walk from the subway. Special conditions apply and the price does not include taxes and levies. For more information or to book call United Travel 0800 730 830 or visit www.unitedtravel.co.nz.

Festivals

As well as being the focus of activity for protesters, especially on dates related to World War II, the shrine celebrates two major festivals, the Spring Festival on April 21-23, and the Autumn Festival, on October 17-19.

Further information

Yasukuni-jina's web page is at http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/ As well as describing the shrine and its history it also carries articles which are often of a controversial nature.