The story so far
Like others in the Rust party I am intrigued by Japan.
It’s not just the language that makes it inscrutable but some of the customs too. One is “No tipping”.
In the taxi from the shrines of Kyoto to our hotel I covered the fare and there was very small change of about one pound. I naturally did not want “the shrapnel” but the driver who incidentally wore white gloves insisted.
It’s no surprise you see no war memorial. Less so that it is airbrushed from any school curriculum. Some of the group have been to Hiroshima and if I had the time so would I.
In Germany holocaust denial has long been a criminal offence, here the nearest you get is a peace movement.
Then there is the corporate ethic and ethos.
The team that Wayne Smith coaches and whose training ground we visited yesterday is called the Kobe Steelers which is owned by Kobe Steel.
In old-fashioned terms you might call it a ‘works team’ as employees of the enormous steel plant are in the squad. This is far more than corporate sponsorship.
Wayne is big on legacy and showed us a video of the 1995 earthquake which literally shattered the city.
But for the bravery of one man the furnace would have shut and a mini replica of a furnace is presented to the man of the match.
Wayne’s expertise as a coach resulted in Kobe winning the national rugby cup 55-5 over Suntory. We saw the players, some of whom had been working all day, return to the training ground at 5 to practice their skills and socialise with us afterwards.
Beforehand we visited another of Japan’s best known brands, Sake, as Kobe is the centre of its production and we went to the Fujiku brewery.
It’s distilled from rice and the Kobe mineral water makes the best Sake. After the explanation of its production (I must confess during the presentation sleep got the better of me) we had a tasting.
I have not visited in my travels anywhere like Japan.
In most countries I can get by linguistically. Here it is much harder as the characters are different. Devotion to the company is no longer much of a a western value but the way Kobe Steel supports the local rugby team reflects its more positive side.
Ok, Japan might have gone through a process of more awareness and apology after the war but its economic success is outstanding.
