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Travel allows us to gain “understanding.” Those who have had some travel experience often share this insight. In my view, this “understanding” can be between people or between individual and the world.
Today, I watched a video of an Asian political forum—my interest in politics extends only to being a by-standing audience and observer—hosted by the Asian Policy Institution. It featured a discussion with four former political leaders from China, India, Japan, and Indonesia. During the discussion, former Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Mori mentioned a topic he believes deserves attention when discussing international relations: tourism ( “tourist,” in his word). He argued that tourism could serve as a tool to improve relations between countries. As an example, he noted the frequent economic and trade exchanges between Japan and China over the past decades led to increased people-to-people exchanges. and many Chinese tourists visited Japan. These Chinese tourists have profoundly altered the perceptions of Japanese people toward Chinese individuals.
Perhaps, not everyone aware of the deep-rooted love and hate between China and Japan throughout their history. While both countries share deep cultural ties, the animosity lingering from World War II has been a constant presence. I believe this animosity is definitely not one-sided from China towards Japan – although I can’t prove – as I don’t believe that when someone has a grudge against you, you’d still hold favorable feelings toward them. Hatred always bring backlash to you.
However, in globalization era, the flourishing of trade and tourism has provided us with many opportunities to visit each other’s cities and countries. One of My husband business client was a Japanese company, so he developed a good friendship with Japanese friends. One of his Japanese clients, whose surname is Yamabe, once came to China on a business trip and visited our former home in Shanghai. During the visit, he expressed sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. This was definitely not just a polite gesture. He mentioned that he knew his wife always felt nervous and worried about not being able to entertain guests properly whenever someone visited them. Therefore, he believed I might feel the same way. Such empathy touched me deeply.
Later, I had the opportunity to travel to Hokkaido, Japan. As I arrived at the airport, the staff warmly assisted us in carrying our luggage to the security checkpoint—a treatment I had never experienced despite my frequent air travels. I was impressed to see shop attendants diligently guiding tourists to separate and dispose of their trash at designated areas near the store entrances. While strolling by the lavender fields, I observed farm employees meticulously emptying garbage bins and sorting the waste, leaving me with a deep respect for the Japanese people’s meticulousness.
During that trip, we went by Osaka. My husband’s Japanese client arranged a dinner for us at a traditional Japanese-style house, where we dined in a beautifully landscaped courtyard. Throughout the meal, restaurant staff and Japanese client friends took turns showing me around the historic house, explaining various details. When passing by the large courtyard window overlooking other diners’ rooms, I was once concerned that our presence might disrupt their enjoyment, but to my surprise, the guests inside warmly waved at us with genuine politeness. This encounter once again shattered my preconceived notion of Japanese people and their warmth, which was vastly different from their stereotypical impression.
History may be written by politicians, and once the clarion call of war sounds, it leave ordinary civilians powerless to influence its direction. Whether it’s the atrocities committed in Nazi concentration camps or the massacres in the former city of Nanjing, these events have become indelible scars on humanity. But only through mutual understanding can the pain of hatred be healed. In Chinese, Pardon “谅解” is a compound of Forgiveness(谅) and Understanding(解). Travel, whether for business or leisure, provides us with opportunities to know and understand each other, offering a chance for historical redemption.
Perhaps this is also why I enjoy the kind of travel that involves walking through the streets and markets. It gives me the opportunity to observe the daily lives of local people up close. I yearn to understand, to comprehend the differences between their lives and ours, and to grasp why such disparities exist. As this understanding deepens step by step, and as I accumulate more insights, I begin to realize that what we once found “strange” about their behaviors and daily routines is perfectly logical and reasonable to them. Regardless of our differences in lifestyles, language, culture, history, or skin color, we actually share many common senses. As the saying goes,”物以类聚，人以群分” – “birds of a feather flock together.” This means that people tend to come together when they find common ground. Through understanding, prejudices fade away, empathy grows, and mutual harm diminishes.
I believe this is one of the significant meanings of travel (tourism) that Mr. Mori Takeshi mentioned earlier: it can make understanding between individuals, between countries, and between ethnic groups more attainable.To be honest, I’m also very pleased to hear Mr. Mori Takeshi’s viewpoint as I prepare to embark on my journey to Japan once again. I’ve been concerned that the increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan in recent years might become burdensome in the eyes of the Japanese people.
（To be continue…)
Travel allows us to gain “understanding.” Those who have had some travel experience often share this insight. In my view, this “understanding” can be between people or between individual and the world.
Today, I watched a video of an Asian political forum—my interest in politics extends only to being a by-standing audience and observer—hosted by the Asian Policy Institution. It featured a discussion with four former political leaders from China, India, Japan, and Indonesia. During the discussion, former Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Mori mentioned a topic he believes deserves attention when discussing international relations: tourism ( “tourist,” in his word). He argued that tourism could serve as a tool to improve relations between countries. As an example, he noted the frequent economic and trade exchanges between Japan and China over the past decades led to increased people-to-people exchanges. and many Chinese tourists visited Japan. These Chinese tourists have profoundly altered the perceptions of Japanese people toward Chinese individuals.
Perhaps, not everyone aware of the deep-rooted love and hate between China and Japan throughout their history. While both countries share deep cultural ties, the animosity lingering from World War II has been a constant presence. I believe this animosity is definitely not one-sided from China towards Japan – although I can’t prove – as I don’t believe that when someone has a grudge against you, you’d still hold favorable feelings toward them. Hatred always bring backlash to you.
However, in globalization era, the flourishing of trade and tourism has provided us with many opportunities to visit each other’s cities and countries. One of My husband business client was a Japanese company, so he developed a good friendship with Japanese friends. One of his Japanese clients, whose surname is Yamabe, once came to China on a business trip and visited our former home in Shanghai. During the visit, he expressed sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. This was definitely not just a polite gesture. He mentioned that he knew his wife always felt nervous and worried about not being able to entertain guests properly whenever someone visited them. Therefore, he believed I might feel the same way. Such empathy touched me deeply.
Later, I had the opportunity to travel to Hokkaido, Japan. As I arrived at the airport, the staff warmly assisted us in carrying our luggage to the security checkpoint—a treatment I had never experienced despite my frequent air travels. I was impressed to see shop attendants diligently guiding tourists to separate and dispose of their trash at designated areas near the store entrances. While strolling by the lavender fields, I observed farm employees meticulously emptying garbage bins and sorting the waste, leaving me with a deep respect for the Japanese people’s meticulousness.
During that trip, we went by Osaka. My husband’s Japanese client arranged a dinner for us at a traditional Japanese-style house, where we dined in a beautifully landscaped courtyard. Throughout the meal, restaurant staff and Japanese client friends took turns showing me around the historic house, explaining various details. When passing by the large courtyard window overlooking other diners’ rooms, I was once concerned that our presence might disrupt their enjoyment, but to my surprise, the guests inside warmly waved at us with genuine politeness. This encounter once again shattered my preconceived notion of Japanese people and their warmth, which was vastly different from their stereotypical impression.
History may be written by politicians, and once the clarion call of war sounds, it leave ordinary civilians powerless to influence its direction. Whether it’s the atrocities committed in Nazi concentration camps or the massacres in the former city of Nanjing, these events have become indelible scars on humanity. But only through mutual understanding can the pain of hatred be healed. In Chinese, Pardon “谅解” is a compound of Forgiveness(谅) and Understanding(解). Travel, whether for business or leisure, provides us with opportunities to know and understand each other, offering a chance for historical redemption.
Perhaps this is also why I enjoy the kind of travel that involves walking through the streets and markets. It gives me the opportunity to observe the daily lives of local people up close. I yearn to understand, to comprehend the differences between their lives and ours, and to grasp why such disparities exist. As this understanding deepens step by step, and as I accumulate more insights, I begin to realize that what we once found “strange” about their behaviors and daily routines is perfectly logical and reasonable to them. Regardless of our differences in lifestyles, language, culture, history, or skin color, we actually share many common senses. As the saying goes,”物以类聚，人以群分” – “birds of a feather flock together.” This means that people tend to come together when they find common ground. Through understanding, prejudices fade away, empathy grows, and mutual harm diminishes.
I believe this is one of the significant meanings of travel (tourism) that Mr. Mori Takeshi mentioned earlier: it can make understanding between individuals, between countries, and between ethnic groups more attainable.To be honest, I’m also very pleased to hear Mr. Mori Takeshi’s viewpoint as I prepare to embark on my journey to Japan once again. I’ve been concerned that the increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan in recent years might become burdensome in the eyes of the Japanese people.
（To be continue…)
Travel allows us to gain “understanding.” Those who have had some travel experience often share this insight. In my view, this “understanding” can be between people or between individual and the world.
Today, I watched a video of an Asian political forum—my interest in politics extends only to being a by-standing audience and observer—hosted by the Asian Policy Institution. It featured a discussion with four former political leaders from China, India, Japan, and Indonesia. During the discussion, former Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Mori mentioned a topic he believes deserves attention when discussing international relations: tourism ( “tourist,” in his word). He argued that tourism could serve as a tool to improve relations between countries. As an example, he noted the frequent economic and trade exchanges between Japan and China over the past decades led to increased people-to-people exchanges. and many Chinese tourists visited Japan. These Chinese tourists have profoundly altered the perceptions of Japanese people toward Chinese individuals.
Perhaps, not everyone aware of the deep-rooted love and hate between China and Japan throughout their history. While both countries share deep cultural ties, the animosity lingering from World War II has been a constant presence. I believe this animosity is definitely not one-sided from China towards Japan – although I can’t prove – as I don’t believe that when someone has a grudge against you, you’d still hold favorable feelings toward them. Hatred always bring backlash to you.
However, in globalization era, the flourishing of trade and tourism has provided us with many opportunities to visit each other’s cities and countries. One of My husband business client was a Japanese company, so he developed a good friendship with Japanese friends. One of his Japanese clients, whose surname is Yamabe, once came to China on a business trip and visited our former home in Shanghai. During the visit, he expressed sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. This was definitely not just a polite gesture. He mentioned that he knew his wife always felt nervous and worried about not being able to entertain guests properly whenever someone visited them. Therefore, he believed I might feel the same way. Such empathy touched me deeply.
Later, I had the opportunity to travel to Hokkaido, Japan. As I arrived at the airport, the staff warmly assisted us in carrying our luggage to the security checkpoint—a treatment I had never experienced despite my frequent air travels. I was impressed to see shop attendants diligently guiding tourists to separate and dispose of their trash at designated areas near the store entrances. While strolling by the lavender fields, I observed farm employees meticulously emptying garbage bins and sorting the waste, leaving me with a deep respect for the Japanese people’s meticulousness.
During that trip, we went by Osaka. My husband’s Japanese client arranged a dinner for us at a traditional Japanese-style house, where we dined in a beautifully landscaped courtyard. Throughout the meal, restaurant staff and Japanese client friends took turns showing me around the historic house, explaining various details. When passing by the large courtyard window overlooking other diners’ rooms, I was once concerned that our presence might disrupt their enjoyment, but to my surprise, the guests inside warmly waved at us with genuine politeness. This encounter once again shattered my preconceived notion of Japanese people and their warmth, which was vastly different from their stereotypical impression.
History may be written by politicians, and once the clarion call of war sounds, it leave ordinary civilians powerless to influence its direction. Whether it’s the atrocities committed in Nazi concentration camps or the massacres in the former city of Nanjing, these events have become indelible scars on humanity. But only through mutual understanding can the pain of hatred be healed. In Chinese, Pardon “谅解” is a compound of Forgiveness(谅) and Understanding(解). Travel, whether for business or leisure, provides us with opportunities to know and understand each other, offering a chance for historical redemption.
Perhaps this is also why I enjoy the kind of travel that involves walking through the streets and markets. It gives me the opportunity to observe the daily lives of local people up close. I yearn to understand, to comprehend the differences between their lives and ours, and to grasp why such disparities exist. As this understanding deepens step by step, and as I accumulate more insights, I begin to realize that what we once found “strange” about their behaviors and daily routines is perfectly logical and reasonable to them. Regardless of our differences in lifestyles, language, culture, history, or skin color, we actually share many common senses. As the saying goes,”物以类聚，人以群分” – “birds of a feather flock together.” This means that people tend to come together when they find common ground. Through understanding, prejudices fade away, empathy grows, and mutual harm diminishes.
I believe this is one of the significant meanings of travel (tourism) that Mr. Mori Takeshi mentioned earlier: it can make understanding between individuals, between countries, and between ethnic groups more attainable.To be honest, I’m also very pleased to hear Mr. Mori Takeshi’s viewpoint as I prepare to embark on my journey to Japan once again. I’ve been concerned that the increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan in recent years might become burdensome in the eyes of the Japanese people.
（To be continue…)