One such city is Imaichi, located 130 km northwest of Tokyo and adjoining Nikko National Park. It has a population of just over 60,000 people. In March of this year, the city became part of a larger association with the same overall name, Nikko. There is no particular industry here - except for a sake brewery known throughout Japan, which happily offers tours and tastings.
Quite unusually, Imaichi has no sidewalks, only continuous streets, either asphalted or paved with cobblestones. For this reason, there is no dirt in the city - in the sense that there is none at all. You can walk around Imaichi in the rain or under the blazing sun, and your shoes will remain as clean as they were at the start of the walk.
Since Imaichi is located in the foothills, there are many streams here. However, they too are mandated to flow strictly along the sidewalks, under stone slabs. In some places, these slabs alternate with metal grates, from under which the sound of water can be heard. By the way, the tap water here is of excellent quality; you can safely drink it straight from the tap.
The streets of the city resemble each other like twin brothers: narrow, with two- and three-story houses tightly clinging to each other, adorned with signs of small shops and eateries. With bewilderment, you notice that during the day they are all completely empty. Moreover, there are not only no customers, but also... no sellers! However, this mystery is quickly resolved as soon as we step over the threshold of one of the commercial or drinking establishments: the automation kicks in, and a gentle trill of a bell calls the owner to the customer.
Naturally, one asks: how do the owners of such shops make a living if there are practically no customers?! It turns out that their main source of income is wholesale purchases by various organizations. For example, for a holiday or corporate anniversary. So the daily sitting with minimal revenue is for such merchants merely a habit of 'being busy' rather than a way to earn their daily bread.
While walking around the city, it is easy to notice that there are no ugly iron garages for cars anywhere. Japanese garages are built into houses and closed with metal blinds; many car owners keep their cars outdoors altogether - both in summer and winter. How they do not corrode in the Japanese humidity is best asked of auto service workers: it is not customary here to dig into the engine yourself or touch up the body; everything is done by specialists.
Very often, a shop or office is located in the same house where the owner's family lives. For example, the owner of a night bar lives on the second floor, and uses the first floor to receive visitors. As a rule, they offer snacks, light drinks, and karaoke. You can drink and sing, and the bartender in a traditional kimono will gladly keep you company - in both.
A special topic is the style of human relations. The cramped nature of Japanese streets means that you are constantly within sight of your neighbors - and naturally, the reverse is also true. This means that your mood and peace of mind largely depend on how well you manage to establish contact with those living behind the next wall. The Japanese do this 'on autopilot,' because their friendliness and smiles are cultivated by the living environment itself.
One is surprised by the Japanese attitude toward security issues. For example, house keys may be kept in some box or drawer, and these are placed in the most visible spot. Often they put them under the doormat at the entrance, do not lock the gate, and generally are clearly not concerned about the possibility of strangers entering the house. And where would they come from, strangers - everyone knows each other well.
Those who have been to America have probably noticed how many people of all ages exercise. On the streets of Imaichi, you will not meet a single jogger, because there are specially designated places for physical activity - sports fields, golf courses, and the like. However, many people ride bicycles, but purely for household purposes. Japanese cyclists use only sidewalks; the roads belong exclusively to cars.
By our standards, life in Imaichi flows measuredly and calmly: work during the day, and in the evening you can go to a restaurant or bar. But most importantly, there is a real opportunity to truly escape from urban stress, because Imaichi is a stone's throw from Nikko Park, and the park means mountains covered with dense forest, crystal-clear air, hot springs, ancient temples, and the chance to commune with genuine Japanese nature.
Yasukuni List
Everyone knows that numerous ancient temples are still carefully preserved in Japan. However, there is one Tokyo temple that the Japanese try not to mention when communicating with foreign guests. That temple is named Yasukuni, and it is located in Tokyo.
The thing is that it is in the Yasukuni Shrine that the memorial list of those 28 political and military figures of Japan from World War II is kept, who by decision of an international tribunal were recognized as war criminals. The fate of these people after the sentencing varied. Some died during the trial or after it, already in prison. Others were executed. Still others were released. None of them are alive now (the last, Teiichi Suzuki, died in 1989 at the age of 101).
For a part of Japanese society - especially older generations - the politicians and generals from the Yasukuni List are not criminals at all, but heroes who fought for the interests of their homeland. Therefore, the flow of visitors to Yasukuni never ceases.
The memorial procedure is worked out in the temple to the smallest detail. First, the visitor must take off their shoes and leave them in specially designated cells on shelves. Going forward, you enter a large hall covered with tatami. Here you need to register and then wait until a large group is formed to proceed further to the place of the memorial service.
Looking around, you immediately notice the advanced age of most visitors. Some of them demonstratively put on caps of the Imperial Army: it seems that the people on the Yasukuni list were and remain for the veterans just commanders to whom respect must be shown. They pay no attention to foreigners, only patiently sit on benches, waiting for their turn.
Finally, our group moves. We walk under a canopy on wooden floors, describing a square around the place of service - a room, again covered with tatami. You can sit here in any position - no one makes any comments about this.
A priest appears and, turning his back to the visitors, begins a memorial prayer. From time to time people nod their heads, with their hands folded palm to palm at their chest. The procedure ends with the laying of a wreath tied with a paper ribbon. At the exit, everyone is offered a cup of sake.
Japanese leaders consider it their duty to visit the Yasukuni Shrine from time to time, paying tribute to their predecessors. Each time this visit provokes an angry reaction from the Chinese authorities, because it is with the people on the memorial list that numerous crimes of Japanese soldiers on Chinese soil are associated. Nevertheless, in Tokyo they pay no attention to this, believing that everything that happens in Japan concerns only the citizens of this country.