Before the 1977 release of Star Wars, which became a legend in its own right, director, George Lucas, called up the curator of the Sendai City Museum, and requested photos of Masamune’s helmet and armor. Indeed, the jet black suits, facemask, and curvature of the helmets, show a striking resemblance. The famed light sabre could also be compared to the swords of samurai.
As well, one might see parallels between Japan’s age of provincial wars, and the intergalactic power struggle depicted in the Star Wars epic. Lucus’ apparent interest in Japanese history may have included an admiration for Bushido, the way of the samurai, which was a deeply enshrined code of honor carried highly by warriors of Japan’s armies. Perhaps Lucus brought bushido to life on the silver screen through his creation of similar abstract concepts such as “The Force”.
Although admittedly a stretch, it is also possible that Lucus’s loveable Yoda character also had some influence from Japanese culture. The name, Yoda, is not so different sounding than the Japanese word, yotta, meaning “drunk”. The wise old little green man’s mannerisms do somewhat resemble that of a Japanese sarariman staggering out of an izakaya after one too many glasses of sake. Yoda’s broken English and the word order of his sentences are also oddly comparable. Proper English sentences have the subject before the verb, followed by the object. Proper Japanese sees the object follow the subject, and the verb placed at the end of the sentence—exactly the same pattern as in Yoda’s dialogue.
Whether all this evidence is fact, or just itself a legend, the displays in the Sendai City Museum are sure to trigger your imagination. The original suit of armor and helmet of the “one-eyed dragon”, Date Masamune, make for a fascinating visit to the museum, which sits across from the International Center, and just below Aoba Mountain, which is also home to a dominating statue of Masamune overlooking the city.

Although castles and more primitive forms of fortification existed on the site from at least the 14th century onwards, the current castle complex was declared complete in 1618. It shares with the other three National Treasure castles the fact that work was completed after the Battle of Sekigahara and the end of the civil war, thus never having to actually face armed foes – circumstances which contributed to its long survival.

For me – a history geek and castle junky – Himeji is what it’s all about. Nearly all castles in Japan were rebuilt in the 1950s, but in most cases they only rebuilt the donjon and enough walls to hint at military strength. The donjon was the command centre in case of attack – defensible, and high enough that the generals at the top could survey the whole battlefield and issue instructions accordingly. People rarely actually lived inside them. At Himeji however, the buildings required for daily life have also been preserved and are included in the extensive tour route. It adds a whole new dimension to the castle experience. Rather than simply seeing where the samurai would’ve fired arrows and rifles from, or where rocks would’ve plummeted onto the heads of unsuspecting troops, or where the Daimyo (lord) would’ve issued his commands, you can see where the Princess Sen, eldest daughter of the second Shogun, passed the long afternoon hours, where the ladies-in-waiting slept, where the guards ate and drank between watches.

The path winds through some beautiful gardens, presenting the castle from various angles and elevations. It takes in numerous points of interest including the Harakiri-maru which, as the name suggests, was the place where those so ordered would have carried out seppuku. The well stands as a reminder of one of the more grisly aspects of feudal life in Japan.

One delightful feature of Himeji that sets it apart from many other castles is the stairs. The castle is big enough to allow at least two sets of stairs on each floor, permitting separate up and down flights and thus avoiding the mad bottlenecks and long queues that can be so frustrating at other locations.

Himeji town has more to offer than castles, and even has more to offer the film buff: up in the hills, overlooking the town, stands Engyoji Temple and its network of support buildings. It was here that many of the scenes in The Last Samurai were shot. Orange Shinki Bus number 8, which stops in front of the castle, trundles to Mount Shosha ropeway. A combined round trip ticket costs ¥1300 and can be purchased at the Shinki Bus Terminal (next to the train station).

From the ropeway it is a short walk to the temple. It stood on the mountain for nearly a thousand years before fire razed it in 1921. The current building was finished in 1932. It’s an important point on the pilgrim trail and is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Beyond Maniden, the main temple building, stands Daikodo, which was once a training centre from priests, but is now more famous to many as part of Ken Watanabe’s mountain village in The Last Samurai. While I was there I watched a very bored priest answer questions about Tom Cruise from a group of girls. The film may have increased the number of young visitors, but I got the distinct feeling the people who live and work there thought it all a massive distraction. It was with undisguised scorn that he described how Tom Cruise would be helicoptered to and from the site every day.

Himeji makes an excellent day trip destination for both the Japan resident and the tourist. Its close proximity to the Kansai hub and its shinkansen connection provide speed and simplicity to one of the most rewarding spots in Japan.

Those with an interest in visiting should move fast. From Autumn 2009 until sometime in 2014, the castle will be undergoing renovations. While the castle will remain open during this period, some buildings will be periodically closed to the public while the donjon will be shrouded in scaffolding and hidden under a tent. It has been rumoured that the renovations will include the installation of an elevator. Hopefully this isn’t the case but if so, I’d recommend making the effort to visit soon before this priceless relic of Japan’s past is butchered in the name of modern convenience.

The stereotype of ghosts in western countries is, usually, either a white sheet with two black holes for the eyes (childish version), or a transparent person dressed with old-style clothes.

The Japanese ghosts are very different. Usually depicts as a young woman or girl, the Yurei (幽霊) wears a white dress and has a long black hair masking her face. The absence of feet makes it floating in the air.

This specific image of the Japanese ghost is used in many medias, such as movies, TV show or manga.

The ghost appears in movies like Ring, Dark Water, The Grudge, and more…; most of them girls with long hair, pale face, crawling on the floor, turning their head in impossible angle, emitting strange sounds.

There is also a TV show based on ghosts appearing in videos or pictures taken by the audience.

But there is another aspect of Japanese ghost I am interested in. It is the “Yokai” (妖怪).

Yokai are not ghosts, but more spirits or monsters, many kinds of creatures composing the Japanese mythology. It goes to the demon Oni (鬼) to the malicious fox Kitsune (狐) or the Tanuki (狸).

They were made famous by the mangaka Mizuki Shigeru (水木しげる), author of the manga “GeGeGe no Kitaro” (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎).

In my next entries, I will be talking about specific Yokai, describing the most popular one and giving some stories about them.

Mizuki’s website (in Japanese): http://www.japro.com/mizuki/index3.html