Early Japanese Visitor Describes "Baffling" American Culture // (1872) The Iwakura Embassy
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
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Extracts taken from "The Iwakura Embassy, 1871-1873: A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation through the United States of America and Europe by Kume Kunitake, Graham Healey, Chushichi Tsuzuki, Martin Collcutt, Andrew Cobbing, P. F. Kornicki, Eugene Soviak." www.amazon.com/Iwakura-Embass...
- Music courtesy of:-
Epidemic Sound
Artlist.io
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
The official report of the Mission compiled by Kume was published in 1878, entitled Tokumei Zenken Taishi Bei-O Kairan Jikki (特命全権大使米歐回覧実記). It is available in English as: Healey, Graham and Tsuzuki Chushichi, eds, A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation Through the United States of America and Europe.
You can also follow up the publishers of the full translation at this site: www.mhmlimited.co.jp/japan_documents_publishing.html
Here is an interesting video you can consider. During WW1 on the Salonica front Serbian soldiers(mostly peasants) are joined by many different nations armies. There are some interesting descriptions from Serbian soldiers of other units French, British, Russian, Italian etc. but also of different colonial troops. They talk about treatment of those troops, cultural things that they find strange, and the obvious one, skin color that they see for the first time in their life.
@@DelijeSerbia That sounds very interesting. To hear to views of people that are from a more uniform society. Being from the US , I was familiar with people of different races and cultures from the time I was a small boy. Speaking of WWI, I had a great, great uncle from Zagreb, Hrvatska. He joined the US Forgien Legion. He was in the US Calvary, still on horses back then. He survived the war and was granted US Citizenship. He moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and changed his name to "Joe Miller", because he thought it sounded like an American name.
Coco Coin! The trill concludes the currency is legal and regulated.
Is there a video on mexico?
The Japanese had African slaves as far back as 1450
"our travels to some of the most distant parts of the earth"
Japanese man, describing Iowa
Well, sure. Going from Japan to Iowa is about the same as going from iowa to the Sahara.
@@mellinghedd267 no no no, I don't think you realise. Iowa is the Sahara.
I have spent time in the "Iowa" its a vibe bro.
bro im going to iowa next week from scotland
@@CJ808GoStupid hope you like corn
My favorite part was, all hotels are the same let's move along.
To this day they are all the same😂😂
The more things change, the more the stay the same.
I rofl at that. I can only the imagine the sigh or giggles Kume would let out to see how little they changed even more than century after he first visited.
They were lucky to stay and leave in a Californian hotel.
Yeah some are worst than others but yeah
As a black man listening to this, the line of “in 10 years, talented black people will rise, and the whites who do not study and work hard will fall by the wayside” is especially chilling, considering the path that history took.
Yeah it's like when people in the early 20th century thought we'd have flying cars by the 2000s.
That’s what happened but they attacked our communities, burned them down, and killed many many more with their other immigrants settlers.
So true. There was a brief period after the civil war where this started happening, because they hadn’t yet made the laws designed to keep black ppl out of office, segregated, poor, uneducated, etc. Its sickening
@@xocolatl3682 Yeah, learning about black wall Street and all the other similar events that never saw justice was depressing asl and infuriating
🤣 And just look at you now. Hundreds of years later you all are right were you left off. Haven't accomplished anything like we have as a race. Your people are inferior and useless. The only thing you people have accomplished is being a slave and taking a beating from us
Me: Remember when you could go into the cockpit of planes and meet the captain?
Japanese Diplomat: Remember when you could go into the White House and meet the president?
Diplomats can still meet him
Well they came to the US as emissaries to renegotiate a treaty. Not so surprising to meet a President.
@Gray El entrenador Pokémon An hentai
Remember when you used to be able to intern at the white house and have relations with the president and then lie about it.
Lol, as a kid visiting the White House, the elevator opened, and out walked LBJ surrounded by secret service agents. Walked right over to us, and shook hands with my parents, sister and I. So, yeah, I remember! ( but don't think that would happen today ).
Japanese ambassador: westerners think a guy turned water into wine, and was the son of god lol
Also Japanese ambassador: the imperial family are the descendants of the goddess of the moon
Kami of the Sun
Many only follow the Shinto imperial origin as a claim to power not a claim to godhood.
Think King Arthur as being how many early kings of England claimed their monarchy's legitimacy.
Many at this time followed buddhism and confucianism with shintoism simply being how many modern secular Jews treat the Orginal Abrahamic texts, a unifying common mythology.
Not unlike what bound the many greek cities into one common people, a shared ritualism.
@@josephnigel8811 you mistakenly think Japanese think divinity is something so lofty. For those who take Shinto seriously they truly believe that the imperial family and by extension japanese culture and people as descended from a divine source. Japanese believe in accessible and incomprehensible gods alike but they basically think, why bother with the incomprehensible.
@@manofcultura granted. In shinto a God is likened to a man like a big tree is likened to a shrub.
Ancient, large, and imposing.
Under this logic it is not difficult to conflate social importance with godhood.
In older shinto practices it was common to take a branch from larger trees and place them upon a grave to symbolize a persons connection to the Gods or their becoming one with the Gods via great deeds.
Not divinity.
@@josephnigel8811 "Not divinity."
thats divinity just not the kind people think of
The thing that gets me is that this historian died in 1931, there are people alive today nearing 100 that could of known him.
Death smiles on every man.
Could be people of 20 generations who new Julius Caesar. Not likely but possible. Anyhow aside from sounding deep and philosophical it amounts to nothing.
@@garrysekelli6776 The guy finds it interesting, it obviously amounts to something for him
@@EmmyDereest
I agree. What a contrarian nincompoop:)
I play vinyl too miss Emmy.
Wonder what he thought of the rise of facism in Japan before he died.
"These guys are simps"
-Japanese ambassador, 1872.
The prophecy was made that one day the Vtuber and Twitch thot may profit.
Idk he said it would be an improvement if western chivalry replaced their parental reverence.
@@hillbillydelux yeah that him low key calling them simps haha "yes how very nice of a way to serve someone higher than one seld, like ur parents, not ur woman" is what he meant to say haha
@@hillbillydelux I disagree. I think the West needs a stronger focus on good parenting and then into adulthood, good relations with aging parents. Bad parenting is the root of much of the issues in our Western nations and Old Folks homes overflow with neglected elderly.
I feel like the focus on men serving women has been quite detrimental also but I won't get into that because that just becomes a terrible argument that goes nowhere.
@@garyt3hsna1l82 I was not expecting a comment this good under this video. Kudos to you.
That blunt outsider's take on Jesus was hysterical. I always love seeing everyday, taken-for-granted things analyzed from alternative angles like that. The world we live in is very, very weird when you actually stop and think about it.
Yes, I also that that part was the best. Objectively speaking, it is bizarre to decorate walls with models of a crucified (tortured) man
It's only weird because he did not understand it. You can tell that he did not because he called Jesus a criminal or a heretic, and he did not understand why westerners thought a heretic would be considered divine. There might also be translation issues from that early era from English into Japanese.
@@bokajtob96 Well the decoration is only in churches. But yes, that can be considered bizarre. But symbols without context often are. Including all the symbologies of Eastern religions to people who haven't studied them in depth. There are temples to Ganesha showing statues of him with his head cut off. People who don't understand his place within Hinduism might find it bizarre why they would show a decapitated body in a holy shrine
@@Fear_the_Nog Yeah but Jesus really was a criminal though; he called himself a son of God (illegal for Jews) and a king of his people (illegal to Romans). The Gospels show him breaking jewish law several times; speaking to Samaritans, associating with sinners, breaking the Sabbath etc. Breaking laws (even unjust laws) makes one a criminal. It doesn't make one immoral though.
@@allature almost like human laws mean nothing and only Divine Law matters.
So striking that the Post Office was willing to send Mail to Japan, at a time when few people had probably even heard of Japan at all. Really speaks of the ambitious nature of the age
Especially considering you'd have to send it from the West Coast. One of the last places that the U.S. developed.
@@robertovaldivia1573 The west coast was actually developed much quicker than the Midwest. We pretty much bypassed all of that for quite a while.
@@COMMANDandConquer199 To this day the Midwest is considered "flyover country." The west coast built up quickly because it had ports and gold to make it worth it.
This was 1872 - the mail system would have been pretty much as it is now, with the exception of air mail. At this point, the US was really trying to court Japan, and their potential trade. Hence the ambassadors, the influx of Japanese and the sale of guns to Japan. California became a state in 1850 so it was pretty easy to send mail back and forth from Japan.
People had heard of Japan for literally centuries. People read books, went to school, traveled, traded-literally “centuries”.
Dang, this dude's writing style is pure poetry. The description is so vivid.
People used to be educated in the crafts of structured writing, narrative, and oratory. Especially people like the "Ambassadors Extraordinary and Diplomatic Plenipotentiaries" - proxies who carry the voice of their emperor/king to foreign leaders. They used to speak in calligraphy, these days they can barely twitter out autospelled block letters.
@@pwnmeisterage to get fair there is a massive disparity between me shitposting and talking shit and an ambassador who represents an entire country also this is his own autobiography so more time to think and edit.
@@kakyoin9688 I think he's talking about modern day politicians and ambassadors
@@craighoward1625but but just look at the sheer eloquence and poetic power of our glorious leader, the Mango Messiah, and his court of Giulianis and Marjorie Taylor Greens!!!
Right three words in and I was just awed
When he mentioned seeing Indian encampments, I realized with shock that this tour of America as a "modern " country happened four years before the Battle of the Little Big Horn!
At least their train didn't get attacked.
@@kingpetra6886 at least my NATIVE AMERICAN ANCESTORS & RELATIVES located at that particular little village that the JAPANESE visitors encountered hadn't been infected by smallpox blankets given to them by the GENOCIDAL usa government & military !
@@craigalston2208 You're lucky. Smallpox was first seen in Japan in the sixth century. As far as the blankets are concerned, that was a trick we learned from the British during the Revolution. At least they came up with a method of mass vaccination. ua-cam.com/video/3dnAjJc1Fws/v-deo.html&ab_channel=Linfamy
@@kingpetra6886 there are only two places that people of european descent have ever set foot on that they haven't committed GENOCIDE against someone and those two places are Antarctica & the Moon , & That's ONLY because there is NO ONE living at either location .
Native Americans
As a Catholic, it was fascinating to hear an outsider's perspective. It's funny too because Japan is a culture of respect. The idea of a *criminal* claiming to be the son of God only to be crucified in the end leading to a religion that wears necklaces with him bleeding to death is A LOT to take in lmao. I knew I had a hard time understanding at first.
The Portuguese brought Catholicism to Japan in the 1500s. The Japanese government was actively persecuted Christians at around this time, so, he probably doesn’t like Christians.
That’s weird, I never saw Jesus as the antagonist at all, nor have I ever met anyone with such an opinion. Regarding Jesus as a criminal reveals a lack of contextual awareness of the story of his life. It is clear from the beginning he is the protagonist and moral good, against a corrupt and hypocritical religious dogma peddled by the Pharisees
Stupid catholicism.. god sacrificed himself onto himself to appease himself.. makes no sense.. yet you think anyone who doesn't believe that should suffer endlessly in hell
@@r3wturb0x51 probably because you've only stayed inside the same echo chamber with other indoctrinated since birth people's. Of course you haven't heard vastly different outlooks on your dogma.
@@r3wturb0x51 You have to take into account their familiar systems of morals as well, in particular confucianism. Jesus broke local laws and defied rulers in the name of God. That can come across as "rebellion" in a different context, and would commonly have a negative connotation in the east. It's not that they view him as an "antagonist" per se, but they don't see why some of what he represents would necessarily be considered "good." Him getting horribly executed towards the end of the story doesn't make sense without context either.
It's fun to hear about his views on men's vs women's rights. On today's standards the period in America was very patriarcal. Little to no women in places of power or having high education. But to a Japanese man of the time who had accustomed to women being basically servants of their families all those gentleman gestures and habits like holding a door open to a woman seemed like the men were servants to women in America.
Yup. The first university in the world to offer a four year degree to women was established in Macon, Georgia in the early 1830s. Most of feminism is a lie, and we have not been taught the truth about our history.
@@alanlight7740 * modern feminism. And there are always discussions to be had about it, but unfortunately, the radical assholes who took it too far have demolished any chance of being able to talk about things like actual rape culture (such as women not being believed when they're sitting there, bloody and battered, and men being afraid to speak out due to becoming a joke) (rape culture is NOT 'how dare you not believe me when I have no evidence'). It's the same about race. There can always be a discussion about racism in the west, if not for the radicalists who destroyed that with thinking everything is racism.
Because women in same position as men in those times was worse for women. Still women today dont do dangerous jobs.
The idea that every aspect of society was patriarchal hadn't been very true for some time. Gentlemanly standards like holding doors, pulling chairs and the like are gynocentric to most outside of the western world. Since the different feminist movements, I'd say that outside of the things men do yo find a partner, men are less gynocentric then they once were.
@@nachgeben That's because from it's inceptions, race theory and feminist theory was always radical, and exists to be more and more radical. It's social movements designed to be endless.
I sympathize with the longing for simple home food after having to eat at restaurants for a period. No matter how good the restaurants.
I used to work in a tourism company in Japan and eat at expensive hotels all nights. When I quitted that job and went back to my country my mother's cooking felt sooo much better than all I had eaten during that time.
Whenever I've spent time in Thailand, I crave Australian bread. Just normal bread. In USA it was coffee with milk. Just normal milk. Couldn't think about anything else lol.
For me in America it’s good English cheeses and good bread
I Just Came Home After 4 Days On The Road & Nothing Beats The Feeling Of My Grandma Cooking & Simpleness Of Eating And Talking With Her
@@humblebeginnings5131 if you like cheese and bread try Europe :)
"The laws of the United States are very relaxed, especially so in Washington. Even foreign visitors are permitted easy access to the white house and allowed to go sightseeing freely, unhindered by guards. Americans smile rather scornfully about European palaces and other sites where soldiers guard the premises and forbid entry to the common people. They think this is a very antiquated, undemocratic custom."
"Hey maybe those guards aren't such a bad idea after all." --James A. Garfield
And now the entire country is run by an elite political and business class. Smh
It always takes ONE guy to fuck it up for us all lmao
Actually the President didn’t become unapproachable by the Public until the Assassination of John F. Kennedy.
After JFK got his head blown off, the President essentially became like Chinese Emperor. A person locked away in a palace surrounded by guards and beyond approach by the average citizen.
@@kitsunefire1 If everyone is armed, nobody is armed.
@@kitsunefire1 No what happened was this country was stolen from us
I absolutely love how nuanced the writer was. He’s simply comparing the cultures of the east and west. Not trying to find which is best but just talking about pros and cons and just day to day life for each culture. This is a beautiful way to view the world
Imagine the same man writing about the west today, where men participate in women's sport. I wonder if he'd find it normal, like the men playing women's roles in traditional Japanese theatre.
At 9:10 the Japanese author states "clearly the color of one's skin has nothing to do with intelligence" and "education is the key to improvement." Very enlightened thinking from 150 years ago, and still not universally accepted in America!
Not very enlightened, really. Europeans cultures were rather back wards regarding this till World War 2 ended.
This is the norm. Average.
Not very enlightened considering it's wrong
@@badgoy8075 how is he wrong
ok but everyone already believes what you're saying. And we don't need to talk about it. Even if you ask someone about it while he's tanning, he's not going to give you any type of interesting response. What's the point of even talking about it? Do you seriously think some people are so self-conscious about their ... skin that it's ... changing their life? Not to mention that Japanese people say that Japan was a completely "black" island where the "black" population was eradicated unless they wanted to keep moving further away as the towns grew into cities more or less like America and its very light-skinned native Americans. All I'm saying is that everyone is already there, and you're basically talking about a spiritual concept (such unanimous things are called spiritual by religious leaders during religious "land grabbing"/expansionism).
@@badgoy8075 lmao
This was quite fantastic.
"And I relished the splendid aroma of uranium and plutonium isotope stew delivered to our banquet table.
" I was promised that my countrymen would be delivered two samples of this marvelous recipe at some point in the future..."
I saw 99 likes. I had to make it a 100
Eltic nahuac tlilictauah montexteco xhocitl nahuacatl motocaxhimetec
I am enjoying these historical depictions fascinating. Well done chap.
It really is! What a treasure.
The writer is so smart, humble & open-minded.
And has a nice writing style as far I can hear from the translated version. No idea about japanese
I think he was a rare man who was able to stay unbiased by either Japanese cultural assumptions or white American cultural assumptions. Clear observations relationships between different groups of people: American men and women; black people and white people; the Europeans that stayed in Europe vs those who set out to build American society.
All good aspects of a wonderful ambassador.
He literally made a love poem to America and I can’t say it didn’t make me happy 😊
“Roses are red
Violets are blue
This country is weird
Just please let me go”
Yes, very relatable to anyone who has visited Yankeedoodlestan.
❤
He mentioned ramblings of a lunatic that's America for the last 20+ years
😂😂😂
Just say, it made you happy!
@@TheOriginalCFA1979other people are just envious of our greatness
That intro describing what a long journey feels like when looking back on it simply beautiful
Now I want to see the writings of an American ambassador or something from around the same time visiting Japan.
"I can foresee a bright future of cultural exchange with their artistic depictions of women."
“Open the country, stop having it be closed.”
@@themanyouwanttobe "the people of the east have in their artistic depictions a concept known as "catgirls" a very intriguing concept indeed, i will invastigate this more closely in my *private* time"
Insert any stereotypical US style of sexist religionistic xenophobic comment, to sum what they thought back then; some of whom still say today with ignorant belief they're correct.
We came, we saw, we conquered, maybe?
Even having just opened to the wider world, this Japanese fella could point out the irrationality of Jim Crow.
I imagine the easterners outside perspective made them see how irrational Jim Crow was. If someone benefited from and was raised to actually believe the """"logic"""" behind Jim Crow laws, it wouldnt surprise me if they 100% believed that the laws were just.
@@GT-wj3gl Yeah, that definitely applied to most people at any given time, it's the forward/fringe thinkers ahead of the curve that push the boundary. There were even abolitionists among the founders, despite the fact that they themselves usually owned slaves or benefited from them. Thomas Jefferson comes to mind. And of course we know the main players in ending Jim Crow. Thomas Paine, who was instrumental in stirring up the revolutionary war, was in favor of many things we didn't get until many decades later (or still don't have, in some cases) like social security, state financial support for parents, welfare, universal basic income, abolition of slavery, progressive taxation and more.
The issue was if we gave blacks the same rights as whites they would out number them and so politically would be entitled to that same representation. Its why the 3/5th compromise happened and then after literacy tests to vote while making public education lesser quality or not available. Its all been to politically disenfranchise the blacks.
Especially in the south states like South Carolina and Mississippi where the slaves actually outnumbered the slave owners. If they had made them all free and able to vote they could vote in black representatives which in former slave states was.....not gonna happen.
Which is interesting cause I bet black people in Japan would have been treated arguably worse.
@@JarthenGreenmeadow the issue was the confederacy, the south, would have had more voters than the union, the north, therefore able to achieve complete control of the North through political means, even after the civil war. Abe needed a way to resist. Democrats would not have to surrender any level of government control by stating black people were 3/5ths a human. Wrap your fucking head around that shit. Just to stay in power, democrats categorized and reduced the voting power of black people. Just to avoid defeat, democrats told an entire group of people, " you only account for 3/5 of a regular vote." Not sane thinking if you think about it. Not freedom either. Democracy only works with insight. So... Lots of fake democrats out there, actually just tyrants pretending. EXPOSE FAKE DEMOCRACY
His take on Christianity was hilariousl lol:
"So this political dissident was executed for calling himself the son of God and a king and the Americans worship him; which like, weird, but okay... But then they hang up images of said execution all over their temples?!? Nani the heck!?!"
Otomo: so this is Jesus?
Portuguese: yes
Otomo: and you pray for him in this cross where he died?
Portuguese:.. yes
Otomo: so if we serve for this guy, you gonna give us the boomsticks?
Portuguese: uh...si?
Otomo: *bingo*
@@exudeku you can shorten this to
"yeah whatever just give us the guns"
His take might be hilarious but it is accurate. Christianity is a farce
Otomo Intro: They bring weapons that can kill without skill, without honor.... With these, their strange ways, and their god.
However, victory can wash away dishonor...
@@dougs7367 no it isn’t.
I feel dumb for thinking that "Golden Gate" was the name of the bridge
we all thought that till now...
@@Thebluernemace Not at all - I was just reading about how it was named after the Golden Horn of Constantinople.
TIL
it's not??
It is... What are you on about?
Imagine all these cognitive stimulations and excessive impression they were faced with.
I completely understand their wish for a moment of simple rest.
My cousin from Japan spoke highly of the U.S. Then he stayed with me in my mobile home dwelling in rural South Carolina. He changed his views really quick.
LOL yeah visits to red states tend to have that affect.
Well, you showed him the wrong parts. Shoulda brought him to New Yowk and see all the people walking there and Spider-Man and ah, fuhgetaboutit.
@@catzor4795 then he could see a dog sized rat being jumped by 4 pigeons
Can you describe more? I have no idea what South Carolina is like (I'm from Germany). I'm really interested what he thought
@@dorito4448 south Carolina is amazing. We have best of everything
A great insight, especially for Americans. It allows a rare authentic look at a famed time in American history through the eyes of someone who felt no need to alter the facts of what they saw. Thank you for this!
It was a truly free nation, if it weren’t for the slave traders it would have been perfect. They messed up then, we fixed it, and still we deal with the ramifications of that sin.
I think he might have been overly complimentary to flatter ones audience?
This man passed within 300'/100m +/- of the spot i am now sitting on. In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada on the original Transcontinental Railroad you can reach out and touch history!:-) 🖖
@@Dunmerdog oops. now it's better!👍
Funny, I just got back from taking the California Zephyr from Chicago to the Bay Area and part of the line is on the original Transcontinental Railroad.
@@barrydysert2974 hey man, I know this sounds strange, but your comment is heart-warming to read somehow. Thank you for making my day 😊
Where was that? Highway 80?
@@nerthus4685 Yes. Just above Cape Horn near Colfax. 🖖
The summarization from 17:09 on is almost crushing to hear from a modern perspective. Particularly, "powerful people have monopolized Europe and shaped it to what they need it to be" and now so soon it feels as though America falls into the same blight. I have to wonder if it will spread as we might spread to space one day, colonizing other planets, and if times are only ever as good to those who "get in" early.
I mean it doesn't compare to the gilded age though. The power of the people has only gotten stronger over time, and I'm hopeful that the powers that be will be given a reminder in the near future about who really controls this country. We, the people. Unlike Europe of that time, we have a voice, and they will never win if that power lays with us.
@@MrAnimason Not to mention we generally choose what products we buy, the dollar and the gun are pretty good equalizers.
@@MrAnimason disagree. We are in a new gilded age, and democracy has become a sham. Corporations and billionaires are our overlords, and many refuse to see that.
@@dannyblack721
Sadly yes , the rich will always rule
@guy man chinese bot
Iwakura was a fascinating character. He became one of the principal patrons of the Noh theatre schools following the collapse of the shogunate in the Meiji Period.
"Not really feeling the dead guy statues everywhere, kind of seems like it would have adverse effects on their mental state but sure, whatever"
To non-Catholics the crucifix is weird. Not just weird to those of the East.
"oj simpson is just driving down the street and we're gonna watch him for the next six months"
so you don't have to watch about that mkultra child rape verdict read on the same date
course, the u.s. was already decades into butchering west papua by then
@@atomictraveller "there's always a mass of oj simpson's we don't even know driving down the street coz they aren't oj simpson"
The description of Western men “serving” women in their manners was fascinating
Western men have always been the only men of the world that treated women kindly, the communists tell western women otherwise.
In 1872, $300 would be nearly worth $50,000 in 2021. That must’ve been some bouquet of flowers 😳
Or flowers were far more expensive and rare prior to refrigeration and rapid transportation.
"My thoughts and feelings of this time may only be appreciated by those who experienced a similar lengthy journey."
I've been in the USA for +10 years now. When I get the opportunity to go home to Japan, I usually choose the Winter for New Years with my family. When my grandfather passed away this last summer, I went home in August for the first time in over a decade and I was shocked at how much I had forgotten. The morning glories in my neighborhood, kids catching cicadas, fuurin, yookan, and so much more. I felt embarrassed. I've married in America, and made many dear friends. I got a wonderful education and a great start to my career... but I'm starting to think it is time to go home. Every year I grow more tired of this place.
That's usually how it goes, I hope to one day go back to the Philippines. Canada is starting to take a toll on me despite how much I have grown accustomed to it.
I've lived in Thailand for 13 years. The other day I saw someone post a photo of a cat warming itself by a baseboard radiator, and I had to stop for a moment because I'd actually forgotten all about them-not cats, of course. It seems such a simple and silly thing, but I probably would never have thought to mention them if I were describing a room in The U.S. Though I'm not in any rush to go back. Quite happy not to have to think about radiators. :D
We belong to the place we are born to, do what you feel in your heart and good luck 🤞❤️
Do it before it's too late. My father lived 20 years in the states before he took his family. I was born in the states and lived until 15, but I now love Costa Rica more than anything. I also love the states and love to spend time there. We live in a time where you can live in both. You need to travel more to Japan and spend more time there. Get an online job. Money isn't everything.
Then I think it’s time, my friend. Home is calling. 😊
“I mean their religion is super fucking weird but hey it seems to work for them”
Edit: holy fuck y’all are going off in the comments, but all I’ve got to say is that most religions teach harmful things, but that most religions aren’t all bad either
"The bible is hardcore"
"Yo the bible is fucking wild bro"
@@Cairo40000 I mean the Bible is pretty wild tbh
@@GZQ9 can confirm as a Catholic that it is indeed pretty wild
@@Cairo40000 As a Protestant I second that.
"For this reason public schools have been established so that black children can receive the same education as white children even though their schools are separate." - oh you sweet summer child.
I appreciate his optimism 🤣 If only.
Whites who embraced racism: And I took that personally...
That actually is why they were established, so he's not wrong, but the whole "Reconstruction" project was squashed soon after it started. This author was writing slap-bang in the middle of Reconstruction, and so his take is very reasonable. There were more African American congressmen when he was writing than there were 100 years later in 1965, and there may even have been an African American governor depending on when in 1872 he was writing (again not to be repeated until 1990).
So the optimism may have been very fairly placed. Had he been writing 10 years later I doubt he would have been so sanguine about the destiny of African Americans.
@@furiousapplesack Funny how even now those who claim to be fighters of racism now push for treating people different based upon one’s race and not their character. Meanwhile those who treat someone based upon their character rather than their race are deemed racists and oppressors.
@@hiddendesire3076 who activated your dialogue tree?
The religious perspectives on this one are really fascinating, they think that aspects of Christianity are absolutely absurd but I'm certain there are many aspects of buddhism, confuciusism, and Shinto teachings that most Christians think are just absurd as well
Holy butthurt, lol. All religions are fascist inventions for social and economic control over the people in service of elites. You all look dumb to rational people and especially people who understand history.
@@moodist1er This is patently false. You sound like a conspiracy theorist. And this is coming from a person who's probably been an atheist when you were still fingerpainting.
Religions arose naturally and humans, and few of them were invented as a method of control. There are religions that ARE like that, but religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Mazdayazna, Shintoism, Daoism, various kinds of Animism and other indigenous faiths, are just natural evolutions of previous religions followed by primitive peoples.
While religion is used as a method of control, they weren't 'invented'. Hell, they can't be fascist inventions at all because religions have been around for thousands of years before fascism.
@@moodist1er Rational people like you who believe that: "There was nothing & nothing happened to nothing & the nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything & then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs." lol
@@moodist1er I tend to agree. Most organized religions are more focused on aquiring wealth, power and controling the individual rather than modeling the morality they claim to embody. I find it all bunk.
Choose kindness, be fair, and don't be a jerk.
You will feel good, the world will be a better place for it. It's really just that easy. No religion required. ✌❤🖖
Well, the Japanese author missed how prominent crime and punishment subjects are in American society, he would easily understand why Christianity is obsessive here. Didn't mention that the god representative of Japan was alive and sitting on a throne back in the motherland 👩🔧🇺🇲🇷🇺
I wonder who got kicked out of the room and denied dinner by his wife in front of the Japanese representative.. 🤣
What troubles me is how I have so much more access to knowledge than this man did living in his era. I have also travelled America and Asia. But I could never discuss it so eloquently.
I heard you killed fifty men
When your access to knowledge is less, you spend more time ruminating on that knowledge, and thus, consider it more deeply. In this way, access to knowledge itself can be like a blinding light if we do not care to limit ourselves.
@@haywoco2 same, i've been to 30+ countries, but half of them are a blur of hotel rooms and restaurants in my mempry.
@@PhilipKaskela the trick is to write a journal about it, don't just record video and take photos, because writing things makes you remember them better.
He wasn't the one to discuss it this eloquently, the translator was
Love their reaction to successful black people and Christianity.
It was a different culture alien to the easterner
@@dean_l33 And that's why I love it. I don't have the benefit of seeing it with a fresh pair of eyes. It's like looking at the world with a completely different understanding.
Yeah. Very heartwarming
It was pretty surprising to hear him not have any racial bias. Guess that didn't stick around to WW2.
@@GeraltofRivia22 Might have been the western influence. I think by WW2 Japan had major western fever.
0:45 day by day however our bodies and nerves grew exhausted and we became weary of splendid dinners
0:45 SS America embarked from Yokohama
2:10 feeling sad to be leaving the landscape of Japan behind
2:40 the celebrated golden gate
6:00 some native tipi and other dwellings
6:50 the wife of the president Grant had sent a magnificent bouquet of marvelous fresh flowers, $300
7:58 emancipation of black people from their manacles of slavery ; separate schools, the separation ; white people who don't work hard and study will fall by the wayside
9:35 11am visited post office
10:12 when Japanese people think of the west they imagine some distant galaxy; when western merchants view the world, however, they view it as a single city ; with this attitude, they cannot fail to prosper
11:00 in America, a husband serves his wife: carrying her lantern, carrying her shoes, offering her delicacies, dusting off her garments, helping her board a carriage, pushing her chair forward when she sits; bows and apologizes at wife's displeasure; men stand for women; when women are present, men speak softly, are circumspect, avoid cursing and argument ... if these rules and customs of behavior were to be transplanted to replace our forms of filial duty toward our parents, that would represent a great improvement
12:20 this is the most crowded street in the world //T/F?
13:00 the bible is the sacred book of the west and the basis of people's morality; it is the veneration of god which drives people to work hard; good behavior is the basic element to maintaining order in society ... they tend to think that someone who doesn't have religion will not respect the law
14:10 when we read the Old and New Testaments which Christians respect, some parts contain unbelievable tales of voices of heaven or relate to resurrection of a crucified criminal; thus the bible can easily be dismissed as the ramblings of a lunatic ... every city in the west has images of this dead man being taken down from a cross with streaks of blood... giving the impression that one is passing through a cemetary ... even rational people wellversed in world affairs urged us to display these images... what is their intention?
15:15 western people are sincere, hardworking, strive to cooperate with one another; the roots of this cooperation are in religion; in terms of practices, who can say which is deeper, Christianity or the doctrines of the east? However when we compare the sincerity of their practice to ours we cannot but feel ashamed. ... American people treat foreigners like family or friends; very welcoming; extremely generous in entertaining us; a farewell feast at the bay in Boston to see us off - this made us reflect on our past, made us uncomfortable and embarrassed
17:05 this whole country has adopted European culture
17:26 Japanese map of Europe
17:30 kings, aristrocrats, wealthy merchants, large companies have monopolized Europe's land and assets and shaped the countries to their own purposes
18:05 America is the country where such people have gathered and where they are now the leaders
This is so interesting and humbling to hear a foreigner talking so positively about the US when it was in the midst of one of the worst times in it’s history and then to hear him correctly prophesize about the bright future to come only warms my heart further. The more people change, the they stay the same.
It really shows how everything is relative. It can always be worse!
@Pojka No, he's saying that was considered one of the darkest times in our history, and yet the guy described it so positively. It's showing that even at the United State's darkest time, we were still an open and hospital culture to outsiders.
1872 was one of the best times in US history. The Civil war was won seven years earlier and the accompanying civil rights advances hadn't been fully reversed yet. The economy was booming, and not that much corporate consolidation had happened yet.@@benjamintherogue2421
This is my favorite of your cultural contact videos so far, and I've loved all the other ones. Hearing their frank perspective on Western religion was especially fascinating!
The contrast between this Embassy and the Tensho Embassy was interesting. Probably the Tensho Embassy had a greater knowledge of theology, so they had a lot of background information, whereas this embassy was experiencing it for the first time.
I love all the Voices of the Past, but this one was particularly delightful.
I'm from Wyoming, and it honestly gives me a very weird amount of satisfaction to hear my home state mentioned here.
dont lie wyoming isnt real
I like his take on the civil war and black americans at the time. A very measured and logical response to what he saw around him
I feel that's especially a result of his visit to the Black college, hearing about the Civil War and the ensuing effect on race relations it had from people who "cared about that sort of thing". I don't imagine Grant would've told him much about the war and its effects other than "I won it"
c. 1974 in wales, when i was 4, my grandfather played me nat king cole's "nature boy"
the rest of the world had a lot of sense before it started watching charles in charge
#ADOS HAS TO FIGHT and CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR REPARATIONS. More than 180,000 Brave Black American Men served as Soldiers in the U.S. Army (Union Army) and fought for Freedom in the Civil War. This was over 10 percent of the total Union fighting force. Most-about 90,000-were former enslaved Black Americans from the Confederate states. About half of the rest were from the loyal border states, and the rest were free Black Americans from the North. Also, Black Americans comprised 25% of the Union U.S Navy. Yet, only one percent of the Northern population was African American. Clearly overrepresented in the military, African Americans played a decisive role in winning the Civil War. African Americans fought in every major campaign and battle during the last two years of the war earning 25 Medals of Honor. U.S. Black Troop regiments captured Charleston, the Cradle of Secession, and Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. Lincoln recognized their contributions. Lincoln declared, “Without the military help of the Black freedmen, the war against the South could not have been won." And without the Emancipation Proclamation, these soldiers and sailors would have had little reason to fight for the Union. 80,000 Black soldiers died fighting in the Civil war.
@@pwhales264 1.8 million melanesian west papuans have died in the last fifty years because the american rhetoric is so reflexively dominated. shut up and do something that changes now.
grasberg mine, largest gold mine in the world, u.s. corp freeport mcmoran (shifted 50% to indonesia in 2018 for forthcoming risk). we can't change that old shit. we cn't change what happened in wales 750 years ago so shut up and do something about NOW. you KNOW turning americans against each other is just to fuck up all your attention so you never actually do some shit outside of the game that matters. ok that's "your wall" but fuck if you'd hammer something that actually gives
@@atomictraveller , I'm a Foundational Black American(#FBA-#FREEDMEN) BA American Decendants Of Slavery(#ADOS) We have always fought for justice for other groups, meanwhile when they get here to the USA they mostly turn their backs on our blight and economic and social genocide issues that have been ongoing in this country for Hundreds of years. So before you start running off your mouth, check and research all of the social justice issues that Foundational Black Americans have fought for and sre currently fighting for...like civil rights for all people. You sound like a gotdamn moron.
Interesting take by the Americans at the time saying guarded govt buildings was whack.
Consider why.
In America, “the government” is comprised of We The People.
As such, no American should/would assault/occupy/or otherwise destroy the govt building (unless they’re un-American Authoritarians or foreign actors)
Cult Boy sounds like you believe the 1/6 narrative without knowing the facts. There’s no reason to still have the Capitol guarded and fenced as it is except to silence legitimate protesters. Many who entered were waived in by the police. Those who destroyed property and harmed people deserve to be tried. Like the unnamed person who killed unarmed protester Ashli Babbit. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
@@cryptotex420 wtf are you talking about?
I never mentioned any narratives. What I described is American Constitution.
Cult Boy wtf are you talking about? Because I quoted the US Constitution while you made a comment that contradicts it. It’s the duty of We the People to hold our subservient govt responsible for unconstitutional and treasonous actions. If you don’t think that sometimes involves occupying OUR public properties then you don’t know diddly.
We lost something important
These videos are so interesting. They keep getting better and better
@Viper vibe I see you're an alt-rightist from 4chan's /pol/. Right?
You are so pretty
@@jdlc903 Your mom is pretty lol
@@timothymatthews6458 an "alt-rightist"? what? Minority of them come from /pol/ because it turns out a Nazi's favourite person to argue with is other Nazis. If you're gonna call someone a racist pig, at least say it correctly. No such thing as an alt-rightist, it's just "alt-right." Go browse /pol/ before you namedrop it. Most far-right individuals (not far-rightist because that makes no sense) gather in smaller communities full of their own like-minded ignorance so they never have to counter a point or argue about who is more racist therefore more virtuous. They don't like having their own points shut down - which is quite easy to do - so they avoid locking horns with any left-leaning /pol/ack cos it makes 'em uncomfy. I see more dudes from /pol/ on places like /gif/ where they can spam race-baiting pornography.
Lots of discord groups mainly, and an undercurrent bubble in basically all non-family friendly children's media online. Gaming shit usually, places like the lolcow community, some corners of VRChat, literally anywhere that isn't /pol/. Hatred and bothers between social diasporas are much older and larger than the internet and they don't require 4chan to spread silly jokes. When people are like "haha pajeet poo in the loo" they are parroting it because they think it's a joke, or they are seriously genuinely racist. It's usually the former.
You look really fucking stupid namedropping /pol/ and 4chan but failing to identify what the name of the political group even is. They fight so much that they don't congregate on /pol/. They suck each other off in more private spaces like discord servers, and make use of trickery words like "Traditionalism" or "Ethnic Nationalism". Half of them have never even BEEN on 4chan.
Many of them are very very young and identify as generally right-wing, laugh at the racist jokes, but do not tolerate outright racism. They are lead by their noses and don't even have a concrete ideology. Many racists are completely socially secluded (not very surprising) and spam their racist shit and beliefs without any social circle - certainly not on based in 4chan. /pol/ is tiny, racism and the passing of racists jokes are a lot older than 4chan LOL. Just call 'em racist next time if you really want to accuse a stranger of having radical and hateful political affiliations, because it looks even more wild of an accusation if you drop the names of political groups and niche weirdo websites on top of it. Unless you just wanted to feel like you knew something.
@@AdamOwenBrowning
Cool but I got a question for you sir
*Who asked ?*
A very critiquing but respectful analysis by a well educated and open minded man.
You know what stands out to me? Just the sheer wonder and joy at *seeing* the rest of the world. At knowing that there is so much, out there on this big wide planet, and the unashamed glee at getting to see *more*.
His critique of isolationism is rather relevant I think. Even today.
I just love these stories before going to bed. Thanks!
Same
I admire how observant and understanding the japanese are even to this day. Even many modern Americans cannot understand the values and lifestyle of Americans from 100 years ago.
@Viper vibe not enough Americans know the history and nuances of our own culture, even if we still understand we have more freedoms than other peoples
@Viper vibe You're being condescending. You're also kind of proving the other commenter's point about Americans being uncultured/lacking nuance. Not everything is a d*ck measuring contest princess
@@popephiliam5860 yeah this viper guy doesn't speak for all americans
The voices of the past videos with the Japanese are my favourite. They are excellent writers I feel :D
@Viper vibe Confused what this antagonism towards "self hating Americans" has anything to do with op's comment.
Can u only imagine this trip?!? TODAY, I would be thrilled to embark on an adventure like this, let alone back then! Awesome video, keep up the great work!
I love this guy! He's so intelligent and his descriptions are so objective and fair, I hope his ways influenced those he came into contact with.
Very cool content, I appreciate what you are doing on this channel.
Thank you for the wonderful content!
Tremendously grateful for this. It's vital for Americans to hear views of people from outside our culture, for us to welcome their observations and continuously interrogate our hearts about how we can do things better.
This is an incredibly beautiful set of perspectives. Thank you for sharing!
lovely narration and story as always!
I love how they described relationships between husband and wife.
The visuals on this episode are extremely well chosen and placed!
I could not agree more
Wow! This is the most underrated channel! I love it
Wow! What a treasure. The insight of this author is amazing.
This is incredibly valuable. To hear the words of a man from a land in the opposite end of the globe, so accurately describe the spirit and character of America is fascinating and makes me proud to know that, while we’ve had and have our issues, it has always been a country driving to better itself; a country with the purest doctrine of true freedom to manifest.
I love Japanese culture as well, and I believe that we all should acknowledge the good, not only the bad, yes everything that connects us and makes us, humans.
This was really deep. What an incredibly introspective, well traveled, and educated writer.
Great episode! Thank you for your hard work !
Truly incredible! Such a deeply respectful and open minded account. It's refreshing to hear western civilisation described with respect instead of cynicism.
This man is pretty wise.
How interesting & informative! So glad I ran across this. I hope the channel consists of more wonderful old letters & journal entries, this was both educational & extremely relaxing, Thank You❤️
I love seeing the exchange of cultures. I wish we would do this more often
I believe we still do.
Amazing work as always
I had to watch the whole of this video. Great observation and narrative
I just spent 2 hours of my morning drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and binge watching your magnificent videos. So informative, insightful and diligent.
Found a new favorite channel lol ❤ Thanks for quenching my thirst for historical context and knowledge. YOU absolute MADLAD❤❤❤
I really liked this reading, very interesting and insightful
The voice narrator did a great job in this video. I felt like I was actually listening to a lecture by the amazing and perceptive Japanese ambassador. The ambassador was clearly skilled at diplomacy. He flattered Americans while also noting the differences between the cultures.
Excellent, and soothing to hear. Like a meditation. The concept of the channel is great!
This was really fantastic. Thank you for sharing it.
I just recently found your videos, and I honestly enjoy your documentaries on the past, and I was most interested on the Japanese series. I was going to ask if you could sometime in the future talk about the Sengoku Jidai period in Japanese history. It would perfectly round out your Japan and the west series. Anyway keep up the good work!!!
Oh my God, this is fantastic. Great Job as Allways guys.
All your work is so well done. Thank you.
I love all of your videos. The animation is top notch, as well as the information and the narrators voice.
"Americans smile rather scornfully about European palaces and other sites where soldiers guard the premises and forbid entry to the common people, they think this is a very antiquated, undemocratic custom."
Kind of puts the barring off of the White House fence to the public and the widening of the perimeter in perspective, huh?
In one way, this kinda persisted when it came to airplane security. It was normal for security to be very lax in airports until 9/11. The Home Alone movies where they just run across really show that and it's pointed to now as a relaxed relic of the past.
This was effing amazing and so well done. Thank you!
Incredible amazing series. Thank you for your work.
thanks for posting it was a pleasure to listen to it
This channel is the closest we will ever get to a time machine
"Doc! Are tou relling me you built a TIME MACHINE... out of a UA-cam channel?!"
I guess this guy had a good reason to be baffled. I liked the part where he was describing the behavior of a Gentleman.
I was relieved when he said that this was better than women obediently serving the older generation
@@wordzmyth---Okay
Love it
This is fascinating. Thank you so much.
What an absolutely incredible channel.
I love how he makes a complaint about traffic noise sound like poetry.
"Laws in America are relaxed and foreigners can visit the White House to sightsee freely."
Oh ho ho how the times change.
Japanese ppl watching the news on jan 6: See, i told you they just let anyone walk in there
@@pvp6077 But can you honestly say that came to sightsee?
@@pvp6077 the police even let them in it’s so relaxed.
These particular visitors were diplomats, so as such they were invited to the White House.
They still can. You have to set up an appointment through your Congressman, but it's not that hard.
Wow would love to hear and see more like this.
This was such a treat, from beginning to the end
Excellent insight all of them. My family came to the US as war refugees from a stone age society. I can still remember all the curiosity that we had about American culture, values, and society.
This is amazing, I wish more people could see their homeland from a new perspective
This was great thanks so much.
Exquisite writing. Thank you.
Fascinating!!