ANTICIPATION

Once underway a sense of future promise always seems to open up for travelers headed off to distant places, even -- perhaps, especially -- when those destinations are familiar ones.

I have been traveling to Japan on an annual basis with the Smithsonian, conducting travel seminar programs like this one, since 1981 or so. What I most enjoy about the resulting rhythm revolves around being able to witness changes taking place from year to year that might escape the notice of those directly "on the scene" on a daily basis. Returning to a familiar location only to find some major change has taken place keeps me aware of the nature of both continuity and change over time, a nice level of contextual awareness for an historian to be in a position to cultivate.

In 2001 I am anticipating some interesting possiblities as I wing my way westward. I wonder how the Japanese feel about the events of September 11th, for example. News accounts in the American press have been scanty at best (we seem to have ignored most international reactions to these terrorist attacks, excepting those from the former Soviet Union), and the Internet news from Japan has been little better.

My gut feeling is that our initial reactions (couched in terms of comparisons to Pearl Harbor and not to Hiroshima and Nagasaki) have distanced the Japanese somewhat from directly sharing our sense of the moment and its significance. Like much of the rest of the world, Japan, after all, already has seen its share of such assaults, the most recent dating to the sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1997 (the subject of Murakami Haruki's recently translated account entitled Underground). I wonder how these different historic and contemporary circumstances have influenced Japanese public opinion ...

Another arena of inquiry revolves around the now-decade-long Japanese economic recession. My experience suggests that the visible consequences of the downturn will still not be apparent. But a recent article in the New York Times Magazine suggests that the current problems being faced in the United States might well have been presaged in the Japanese experience. So I will try to pay more attention to the results of decisions made there in hopes of seeing some lessons to be learned as we, for example, drift closer and closer to a zero percent interest rate, something already present in the Japanese economy.

And, finally, I hope to be able to explore all the latest fads and fancies that have made their way onto the popular cultural scene since my last visit. Evidently a new anime (animated film) has taken the country by storm, even threatening to unseat Titanic as the high grossing film of all time. And with two grandsons to shop for, I'm looking forward to examining all the latest toys. Has Sakamoto Ryuichi released any new CDs? I have heard that my favorite postmodern film director has another project on view. I plan as well to visit the International Forum building designed by the Italian architect recently chose to design the newest addition to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

So there you have it. Lots of interesting things to look forward to on this trip. And I have my trusty digital camera at the ready to record them all. More (photo illustrated) "Reports from the Field" to come!