Cool Japan: Ships and Cats

 ■ Cool Japan: Ships and Cats

The “Ships” episode of NHK’s Cool Japan

Japan has relied upon the sea and its rivers. Our lifestyle and economy has been supported by ships. Tokyo is an unusual capital city in that it faces the sea. Looking at this fact through a cultural lens from the perspective of an outsider leads to many new discoveries.

The mysterious world of swan boats, barges and boat racing

The United Kingdom, another maritime nation, is said to mainly think of its waterways as a source of power and has actually hindered the passage of ships. Japan did not develop markets like Europe; it focused upon water. Japanese people sang, danced and ate near the water or on ships. This led to the development of a culture of ships.

The artisanal expertise of creating wooden ships accurate to the millimeter 

The expertise of shrine carpenters underpinned the manufacturing of ships that were made without any nails, and whose complex structure required wooden parts to be assembled together with accuracy measured in millimeters. 

The joined-block construction technique was employed in the Heian Period to manufacture large numbers of statues of Buddha. The head, torso, legs and arms were carved simultaneously, then assembled together at the end of the process. This block technique has long been a specialty of Japan. 

Busy luxury cruises

In the West, doing nothing — sitting by oneself beside the pool reading a book or gazing out over an azure sea — is the ultimate indulgence. That's the last thing we would do. We are a culture of making do with what we have — we came all this way, it would be a waste to do nothing. It is a philosophy of taking advantage of an opportunity. It may take a little longer for Japanese people to enjoy the indulgence of doing nothing.

Ships are tools for work and life. The development of ships, their design and culture and their use for entertainment is fascinating. Their status as the acme of artisanal expertise is very Japanese. I hope people come from overseas to attend the Tokyo Olympics on Japanese ships.

The “Cat “ episode

Japan has world famous cats, including a certain blue robot cat and that other cat character with a white face and a red ribbon. Perhaps no other country loves cats in as many unique ways as Japan.

The Cat Boom

This may have something to do with the aging society and a culture that is friendly to people acting alone. Cats are at the top of the list for people who like animals but are unable to walk a pet every day by themselves. There have been booms in the popularity of cats, but they occur at times of recession. When the future is uncertain, perhaps we turn to cats for the relief and comfort they provide.

Cat books and magazines

The progenitor of popular literature, “I am a cat” by Natsume Soseki, plays with the perspective of its feline protagonist. Cats are so popular that a bookstore at Jinbocho in Kanda dragged itself out of trading difficulties by shifting to become a store that only stocks cat books. Some data shows that cats are worth ¥2 trillion to the economy per annum, illustrating the strength of our love for felines.

Cat Island

The most outstanding example of ‘catonomics’ is Cat Island. Revitalizing the local economy is fine, but this sleepy island has experienced much consternation as a result of the sudden influx of tourists after they were thrust into the limelight. I ask cat-lovers to be considerate.